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Jack Graham: We have been given a love in Jesus Christ that we do not deserve, but we delight in this love. We embrace this love. No one has ever loved you like Jesus. No one has ever cared for you and me like Jesus.

Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about three promises God gives His followers. Now here’s Dr. Graham with his message, "The Christ Life in Your Life."

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to John's Gospel, chapter 14. We are in the upper room with the Lord and His chosen ones, His followers, the disciples. It's Thursday night. Thursday night, and He is observing the Passover for the last time with His disciples. And He has just told them that He is leaving them and that they will now live without His physical presence.

Of course, these men are shaken by this. They're troubled. There’s a shudder in the room. Shockwaves are through the room. And then the Lord, because He sees their broken hearts, He begins giving them promises, extraordinary promises, incredible, amazing promises.

In the upper room discourse, the conversation that Jesus has in chapters 13 through 16 in the Gospel of John and then a prayer to seal it in chapter 17, in this, you see and hear all of these promises. And also He gives Christians, you and me, clear commands as to how we are to love Him by obeying Him and following Him.

Now, only John, the disciple that Jesus loved, self-described, and he was close. He was right next to Jesus, and he laid his head over on the chest of Jesus. In that sense, he heard the heartbeat of God. And he heard every word, and the Holy Spirit enabled him to remember these words and to write them down. I'm so glad this passage of Scripture is a vital, essential part of the Word of God. Jesus in the upper room.

In chapter 13, He talks about love. First Corinthians 13 is called the love chapter, but John chapter 13 is also the love chapter. It says that He loved those disciples to the end. He loved them all the way through. And then He said in verse 34 of chapter 13, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you have love for one another. Even as I have loved you, that you love one another." And this is the new command that Christ gives to us.

We have been given a love that we have received and not achieved. We have been given a love in Jesus Christ that we do not deserve, but we delight in this love. We embrace this love. No one has ever loved you like Jesus. No one has ever cared for you and me like Jesus.

And so He demonstrates His love by humbly, selflessly, sacrificially washing the feet of His disciples. And He tells them and He tells us to take up the towel and to serve one another. But this is one of the most outstanding images in all the Bible, when Jesus is kneeling at the feet of His disciples and showing us how to serve others by doing whatever it takes and whatever people need. It's the agape love. It's the love that lasts. It's the love that serves.

I describe this love on this message from chapter 13 as giving a person what they most need when they least deserve what you're giving them. It is giving a person what they need the most when they deserve it the least, at a great cost and a great sacrifice. Jesus demonstrates this love by serving us. He came not to be served, but to serve.

And then He gives the greatest promise of all in chapter 14, when He says, "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come again." He promises to prepare heaven for us and then to come again to receive us to Himself. Heaven is our home. It's the Father's house. And then He tells us how to go to heaven in verse 6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by Me."

And then Philip, one of the disciples in chapter 14, he says, "Lord, show us the Father. Show us the Father, and it will be enough for us." And Jesus must have shaken His head and He said, "Philip, have I been this long with you, and you don't know that you've been looking at God this whole time? If you've seen Me, you have seen the Father." Because Jesus is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

There's one God in three persons. And while we worship one God, He expresses Himself in Father and Son and Holy Spirit. If you've seen Me, Jesus said, you have seen the Father. And then He makes an astounding statement that picks up where we're going to go today in the Scripture.

Beginning in chapter 14, verses 12 through 16, He said, "Truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And watch this: and greater works than these will he do because I'm going to the Father. And whatever, whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

And then this promise: "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. And if you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, Helper, one called alongside of you to be with you forever."

You clearly see that Jesus claims to be who He is, and that is God. He says, "You believe in God, believe also in Me." And He says, "When I go away, in My absence, you will not be left alone. You will not be orphaned, but I will send you the Holy Spirit."

In John 16:7, He says, "It's to your advantage that I go away." How could anything be better than the presence of Jesus? That's what the disciples are thinking. And yet He says, "It's to your advantage. It will be better for you that I go away." And then that indescribable statement: "Greater works will you do than even the works that I have done." We'll talk about what that means in just a moment.

But three incredible promises right here in this passage of Scripture and others to follow. First is the promise of His presence. He said, "I will be with you." Throughout the 14th chapter of John, Jesus describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

And just who is the Holy Spirit, and what does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit is Christ in you. When you become a Christian, the Spirit of the living God, the Spirit of Jesus Himself, enters your life. And Jesus is assuring these men and all of us and every Christian in every generation that we are always helped by the Holy Spirit. He calls Him the Helper, the Paraclete, or the Comforter, one called alongside of you.

So here is the ministry of the Holy Spirit briefly. And that is, one, the Holy Spirit is in you. The deity of our Savior, Jesus, His deity inhabits our humanity. It's the most important thing you can learn as a Christian, even just getting started. And yet so many Christians have no idea as to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives. But I'm telling you, it's the most important thing you can learn as a new Christian.

So the Spirit of God indwells us, and He instructs us, and He is present with us. And not only that, let me give you First Corinthians 3:16: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" Do you know this? First Corinthians 6:19: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own." He goes on to say you've been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.

And so we are inhabited by God's Spirit. And yes, He is the Holy Spirit. And one of the purposes and priorities of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to make us holy, by making us more and more like Jesus. It's the process that theologians call sanctification, that we are made more and more holy as Christ becomes more and more powerful and ever-present in our lives.

If there's any one thing you can't afford to miss, it is the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. So He is in you, He is for you. The Holy Spirit is your advocate before the Father. And not only does He reproduce Jesus in you, but He represents Jesus through you. He is for you, and He is with you.

And we also learn in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit is upon us, upon you. So to wrap it up, He is in you, He is for you, He is with you, He is upon you. And in the Holy Spirit, we have presence, His presence, we have power, dunamis, the power of God's Spirit alive in us, working through us, strengthening us. We have protection, we have provision, we have all that we need delivered by this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. He is preparing the believer for life without Him, His physical presence.

Guest (Female): You’re listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Christ Life in Your Life." Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It’s a study of God’s Word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham’s devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God’s Word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we’ll send you Dr. Graham’s brand-new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now, let’s get back to today’s message, "The Christ Life in Your Life."

Jack Graham: Did you know when you open your Bible that you are encountering the ministry of the Holy Spirit? The Bible, God's Word, is not just a book from men, but God by the Holy Spirit through men gave us His Word. And so in that way, Jesus said, "When the Holy Spirit comes, He will teach you all the things that you need to know." And so we now have the Scripture, the revelation of God, both Old Testament and New Testament.

But in the Old Testament, the promise of peace is given to us, and it is the shalom of God. And that peace comes by the Holy Spirit. You say, "Well, how is it possible that greater works than He did, that we will do? What does He mean by that?" Because clearly we can't do what Jesus did.

But think about it: Jesus on earth was in one place at one time, one physical presence, one physical place. Jesus never traveled more than a few miles from the place of His birth and His hometown in Israel. He never spoke to millions of people. He often spoke to large crowds and people came to hear Him from all over. But frankly, I speak to more people every single day through media than Jesus ever spoke to in His lifetime.

You say, "Are you bragging? Are you saying you're better than Jesus?" Of course not. But I'm making the point that Jesus is making. He said, "Now I'm not going to be here in one place at one time any longer, but I'm going to send you the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit will be in you, and you will be My witnesses to the ends of the earth."

I'm not greater than Jesus, and you're not greater than Jesus, but He does His greatest works and His greater works through us. And when we speak, when we witness, when we share God's Word, we can expect His anointing, we can expect His power. He is in you, He is for you, He is with you, He is upon you, and He lives through you. That's the first promise.

The second promise that He gives is the promise of prayer. Not only the promise of the Holy Spirit, but linked, linked to the promise of the Holy Spirit is the promise of answered prayer, of prayer. Jesus said, look again in verse 14, "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments," that is, obey God. "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever."

Oh, yes, I should mention Jesus said the Holy Spirit will never leave you. As a Christian, the Spirit of God, the living Spirit of God, will be in you forever. But He says, "Then pray in My name. Ask, and I will answer you." It’s an incredible promise.

He says, "I'm going to give you..." Remember these troubled men. They were shuddering, they were shaking regarding the prospect of life without Jesus on earth. They were freaking out. He says, "Don't let your heart be troubled. Here's why. I'm the way, I'm the truth, and the life. You can trust Me. I'm giving you the Holy Spirit, and I'm giving you a lifeline. And that lifeline is communication with Me, and it's prayer."

And in prayer, what happens? We experience His presence, we know His power, we receive His provision, we gain His perspective—that's wisdom. And in prayer, we invite His protection upon our lives. There's a sermon right there. When you pray, there is His presence, His power, His provision, His perspective in life, and His protection. And I could add all of His promises that we pray in.

We have this clear, unhindered connection with God, straight to Him, because we're praying in Jesus' name. What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name? Everything. To pray in Jesus' name is not just a sign-off, what we say to end the prayer. It’s the ender. You may end your prayer, of course, with "in the name of Jesus." But it means something more than a sentence or a saying.

To pray in Jesus' name, I want to mention four truths about praying in Jesus' name. To pray in Jesus' name means that we pray with adoration of His name. In other words, we honor Jesus, we exalt Jesus, we praise Jesus when we call upon His name.

When we pray in Jesus' name, we're praying in His authority, not for His adoration only, but we are praying in His authority. The name of Jesus—if I give you, let's say I give my children or my grandchildren the right to use my name for something, to sign my name onto something, that's my name. It represents me. It represents my authority.

And so when you pray in Jesus' name, you're not praying in your name, or in the name of the church, or in the name of the pastor. You're praying in the powerful name of Jesus. And it is the name of Jesus, and only in that name, do we have then access to God.

So we have adoration, we have authority, we are to pray in Jesus' name with alignment. So you look at that verse and it looks like a carte blanche; I can pray anything and get it. No, when Jesus taught us to pray in this way, He taught us to pray, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." He said, "I will ask the Father, He will give you a Helper to be with you forever." So that means we are to pray that the Father may be glorified, verse 13.

So when we're praying like this, what does this all mean? It means we're praying in alignment with the will of God in our lives and for the will of God in our lives. John would later write, First John 5:14 and 15, "And this is the confidence that we had toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him."

So to pray in Jesus' name is to pray with His adoration at the foremost. And it is to pray with authority. It is to pray in alignment with His will. And then it is to pray with access. To pray in the name of Jesus means there is access direct. You don't need a priest to pray for you. You don't need a pope to pray for you. You don't need a preacher to pray for you. We can all pray. Anybody can pray and we're to pray for one another.

But I don't get you access to God. No human being gets us access to God. Mary doesn't get you access to God. Only Jesus gets you access to God, direct and personal access to God. That's why we don't pray in the name of Mary. We don't pray in the name of the church. We pray in the name of Jesus. It is in Christ and Christ alone that we pray.

And then it means that we pray with anticipation. When we pray with anticipation like this, with access, alignment, authority, adoration, we pray then with anticipation and expectation because Jesus said, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you a Helper, the promise of the Spirit." He said, "You ask in My name," verse 13, "and I will do it." Why? That the Father would be glorified in the prayer that He answers for you.

In Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, Scripture says, "Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He's done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. This is the peace that passes understanding. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

So here's the next promise that we're talking about, and that is peace that cannot be put into words. It's the peace of God. Verse 26 of chapter 14 and 27: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." That's the Bible. That's God's Word. You say, "Well, I don't understand the Bible." If you're a Christian, if you open God's Word, He will illuminate, that is, He will enlighten you to understand God's Word. Your Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the teacher.

And then verse 27: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives to you, give I to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." So Jesus closes these sentences with the same way that He began chapter 14: "Don't let your heart be troubled." That's what this is all about.

Rather than shuddering and shaking and troubling through your life, receive the promise of heaven and eternal life through Jesus Christ and Christ alone. Center your life in Christ, knowing that the Holy Spirit is in you, for you, with you, upon you. Knowing that you can pray for God's protection, God's provision, God's presence, God's perspective. You can pray, and He said, "I'm going to meet all of your needs."

And then comes this promise: you're going to have peace. My peace I'm giving to you. We have this peace that keeps us free from worry, even through life's trials and through life's tests. And when we trust in God's grace to save us and His goodness to keep us, His faithfulness to be with Him, we will not live in trouble with troubled lives, but we will live in this peace.

Guest (Female): You’re listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Christ Life in Your Life." Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God’s Word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we’ll send you Dr. Graham’s brand-new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." In this encouraging study of Psalm 23, Dr. Graham shows how the Good Shepherd provides, guides, and stays with you even through life’s darkest valleys. Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789.

Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It’s a study of God’s Word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham’s devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: A lot of us are running on empty and don't even realize it. We’re trying to manufacture peace out of circumstances that will never cooperate long enough to give it to us. We’re trying to find strength by gritting our teeth harder. We’re trying to pray better prayers instead of resting in the one who already hears us.

But what if the reason you feel like you're constantly falling short isn't because you're not trying hard enough? It’s because you were never meant to do this on your own strength in the first place. You have access to the very Spirit of God—not a concept, not a feeling. A person living in you right now today. That changes everything about how you face this week.

So here's my question for you: where have you been white-knuckling something that God actually wants to carry for you? Maybe it's a decision you're afraid to make. Maybe it's a relationship you don't know how to fix. Maybe it's just the low hum of anxiety that never fully goes away no matter what you do. Whatever it is, stop treating it like it's your problem to solve alone.

Take it to Him, not with polished words, not with a formula, just honestly. Because His Spirit is already in you, already interceding, already at work. And when you do that, don't be surprised if something shifts, not because your circumstances suddenly change, but because you do. That's the peace He’s talking about, the kind that doesn't wait for the storm to end before it shows up. So don't leave here today not just having heard about the Holy Spirit, but leaning on Him. That's the difference between religion and relationship, and it's available to you the moment you choose to trust Him with what you've been carrying alone.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more, we’ll send you Dr. Graham’s book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Just text SEPTEMBER to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about what it means to be personally known and chosen by God. That’s next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.