The Advantages of Jesus' Departure - John 16:1-7

0:49But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. These words have always perplexed me. How in the world Could it be more advantageous for Christ's disciples that he goes away? I mean, it's how could that be? And these words have often perplexed me. And so we're going to dive into them this morning. And I want to tell you something about my family before we jump in as we're getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.

1:58My parents are still living. We get together in Waco, and they had five children. They all got married, 21 grandchildren. And now the grandchildren are starting to get married. So you can imagine when we get together, it's a collision of RVs, four-wheelers, bicycles, food, and we do so all under this big old warehouse, larger than floor space here. And there's RVs inside. So one of these, somebody had a bright idea this year to come up with a box and to put in the box, each family, what are some things that we are thankful for, who's thankful, who's grateful, and who is blessed. Using our time together to exalt and be thankful for.

3:00Who God is and what He has done in our lives. So, of course, that's another assignment for me, right? Sit down and do this. It's one of those things of the fallen nature. What do you mean? I don't have time to write this down. You know, I got things to do, you know. It's kind of where our fallen nature is. It's pretty pathetic, isn't it? Even as we approach a time of Thanksgiving, I don't have time to stop and give thanks. I've got some things we've got to do. And so we could get very busy and forget. So, what I thought I'd do as a good economizer of time, I thought I'd write a sermon about what I'm thankful for. And so, then when it comes my time to share, I'll reach in there and I'll preach a 45-minute sermon, and we'll see if they get the bright idea next year. And that's only part one. I've got a part two to this coming as well.

3:59So, I thought, where in the world would I find a good verse to talk about what I was preaching on? And I got to thinking, you know, I am very thankful that Jesus went away. And so, I thought it would be really neat if I could talk about the reasons why I am thankful that Jesus went away. And it just so happened that the very next text that I'm preaching is John chapter 16, verses 1 through 7, about Jesus going away. So, that's how I select. My text. Not really. You can go anywhere you want, right? But here's the deal.

4:39The disciples are in the, just hours before the crucifixion, and Jesus is about to go away, and he tells them, it is to your advantage that I go away. And so I want us to dive into that. And I want us to look at, in the context of this, of what's been happening in the last few chapters, and certainly in the text this morning, how in the world would it be more advantageous for Christ to go away? And as I studied this and looked into it more deeply, I can tell you with absolute assurance, I am so thankful that Jesus went away.

5:31And so I want you to see three advantages to Jesus' departure so that you will appreciate what God has done and you will give thanks that Jesus went away as well. So first of all, talk about three advantages of Jesus' departure. First, there is forgiveness for our past, forgiveness for our past, me personally, forgiveness for my past. Past. Why am I thankful that Jesus went away? It is because there is forgiveness for my past. And when Jesus, in the context of chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16, when he's talking about going away, there is a specific path that he is going away through or on.

6:26The path is going to, the road back to his father is going to go through the cross, through the grave, through the resurrection, and to the ascension. That is the path that he is going to go on as he returns to his father. Now, so, what is the advantage of Jesus' departure? Well, first of all, there is the forgiveness for the past, and that takes us through the cross. The advantage of the cross, the advantage of the path. And the first stop on this path is the cross. Remember back in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7. You remember when Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree they were not supposed to eat? And then all of a sudden, the devil turns on them. He says, Look at you. You're naked. I'm summarizing. Get some clothes on. Shame on you. Here comes God. Hide from him. And you see, the path. Of the devil, right there. The power of death is right there that you are naked. You are guilty. What's happening on the outside their body is a picture of what of the spiritual death that had taken place inside of them. They did die that day. They did die.

7:50And what you are witnessing in those chapters, first verses of chapter 3 and verse 7, you're seeing what happens when mankind died. They ran, they hid. And that was the power of the devil. That is where he gained control. Shame on you. Shame on you. Run, hide. And so, what does God do? And in fact, what do they do? How do they respond? It's a pathetic scene. Man put in the garden with dominion over everything. Now he is being dominated. He is being thrown. He is being trashed. He is on the run. He is cowering in fear from his creator. And so, how do they handle this?

8:44They know they are unrighteous. So how do they handle it? Well, how do we justify ourselves when we sin? How does fallen man justify himself, herself? Well, Blame, right? God, I'm really righteous. It's there. That's the person that's unrighteous. That's the person, that's the fault. And so we can get some kind of a satisfaction or think we could hide some sort of put like some little fig leaf and cover ourselves and say, yes, I am really righteous. The faults over there, God, you see that right there?

9:27And so we will either deny sin, excuse sin, justify ourselves, or blame others. That's the only way you can try to justify yourself before a holy God. And that's the power that the ruler of this fallen world has. Run. And so what does God do? One of the first things that he does in Genesis 3:21 is he makes garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them. So one of the very first things we learn about fallen humanity and his basic need is to be covered. Covered. And so he covers their naked bodies as an indication, as an implicate, as a picture of what he's going to develop. Man really needs a righteous covering for his soul.

10:26And you can move on through. Genesis, get to chapter 22, and substitution comes into picture, into the picture. You remember, as in verse 13 of 22, Abraham was about to offer Isaac on the little altar there that he had made, and Abraham raised his eyes and he looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his thorns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

11:06And then, certainly, as you go through and you see the Passover lamb, you see again this substitution. But it's so you hear the words substitutionary atonement. You probably hear those a lot. Well, those are the two blocks as you go through. What does man need? He needs a covering. He needs a right. He needs to be right before God. And he needs to know it. But there's also a penalty. There's someone that needs to be his substitution and pay for the penalty. So as you keep going, there's the advantage of the cross. So why am I thankful that Jesus went away? It's because there's the advantage of the cross. Second thing, there's the advantage of the grave.

11:54Paul speaks towards the forgiveness that he offers. There is the advantage of The grave. You remember in Leviticus chapter 16, beginning in verse 21, there's this scapegoat, these two goats, and one of them, Aaron, lays both of his hands on the head of the live goat and confesses over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regards to all their sins. And he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. And listen to this: the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. Picture of a removal of sin. That sin goes on that goat. That goat goes off into a solitary place and dies, and that sin is removed. That is the advantage of the grave. Jesus took our sin and he took it to a place where it can never come back to us.

13:14So there is a forgiveness. It's based on the advantage of the cross and the advantage of the grave. But there's also the advantage of the resurrection. Advantage of the resurrection. And what did the resurrection do? Well, it confirms all the realities of the cross that Jesus is who he said he was, that the grave could not hold him. It provided the evidence that the power of the ruler of this world has been broken. The curse has been removed.

13:57First fruits of a new humanity have emerged. You know, there was a time when kings used to go to battle with their soldiers, right? With their men. King would be right down there leading the charge, right? That kind of fell out of vogue and to replace a lot of kings that way. Well, let me tell you about the king that God established. He goes straight into the grave itself and he defeats the power of sin, defeats the power of the grave, and he comes forth. That's the king that God established. That is the son whom God has said, I have established him on my holy hill.

14:54So the good news of all of this is that there's a new way to deal. With sin, with guilt, and with shame. You know, if we started around here and just said, okay, you know what we're going to do? We're going to start right here on the front, and we're going to bring Zach, we're going to bring up here, and we want to showcase all of your sins. We want to examine, and we're going to have infinite ability to do so. So we're going to be able to look into your life, and we're going to be able to see everything that you shouldn't have done, but you did. We're going to look at everything you should have done, but didn't. Thank you.

15:48I'm thankful for a congregation that's tracking with me. I think, I don't even know if we could get Zach up here. And by the time we even started with Zach, the room would be cleared. Right? That's the power of sin. That's the power of. It zaps the life out of you. Right? And the only way around it is to start blaming others, to start, I was a victim, I wasn't, I really didn't, somebody else is responsible for that kind of thing. But it's like a fig leaf. Deep down, we know. Better.

16:34But here comes the resurrection, the king who went to the cross, provided a covering, paid our substitution, removed our sin. So then it's like gives us a way to deal with sin, right? So when that ruler, let me show you how this power was broken. Now, when the ruler comes, start throwing sin in your face, look at you. It's like, who do you think you are? Let me tell you, I don't even have to say it. Do you think Christ's righteousness is not sufficient for our Heavenly Father? Who are you? Let me tell you what I am clothed in. It is a righteousness that is so supreme that it is a righteousness that the Father Himself said, come, sit at the right hand.

17:29No power there, right? And let me tell you about where He took it. Shame on you for continuing in the lies. My sin has been dealt with. Forgiveness for my past. And we need that, don't we? Boy, we need that. We need forgiveness. But then there's the advantage of the ascension. This is his path back. 1 Peter 3:22 says this, Who is at the right hand, speaking of Christ, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to him. So his righteousness is sufficient, a sufficient covering. His substitution is perfect. It is complete. It has paid the debt in full and then some.

18:26And the removal of sin is complete. And now he sits with all authority at the right hand. There isn't another power or entity that can ever change it forever. There's no power that can ever accomplish what Christ, or there's no power that can do away or alter or change what Christ accomplished for his disciples. It's permanent. It's a new reality. It's my new reality. I live in the light that my sins of forgiveness are forgiven. And I'm thankful that he did. And if he didn't go away, guess what? That wouldn't have happened. That's why Jesus can say to his disciples here in this context: it is more advantageous for you that I go away because your sins will be dealt with.

19:30You will be forgiven, which takes us to the next point: three advantages of Jesus' departure and why I'm thankful that he went away. Number one, forgiveness for our past. Second, hope for our future. Look, we need forgiveness for our past. I see the one thing that I look around and I understand that humanity needs. I see it from the inside and I see it as a pastor. Forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness for our past. We need that. But we need more than just forgiveness for our past. We need hope for the future, right? Hope for the future. If you go back a couple chapters to chapter 14 and verse 1, you remember what Jesus said: Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. So he gives us the advantage of heaven. He is going. Why is he going? He's already told his disciples, I am going to prepare a place for you.

20:41I am going to prepare a place for you. Let me tell you about my father's house. There are many rooms. There's plenty of rooms. There's room for you there. And I am going to prepare it for you. And he says, So don't let your heart be troubled. You have the Advantage of heaven. If I don't go, you don't have the advantage of heaven. See, many times our joy is anchored to temporal circumstances. And that's what he's telling these disciples in this point. Don't anchor your joy on what you're experiencing in this world. Your joy is to be based on something that transcends this world, and that is the hope of heaven, the promise of a glorious future. You and I need that, right?

21:36And that's the gift that he gives his disciples. He says it's best for you, it's advantageous for you because you have the advantage of the forgiveness of your sins, but also the advantage of heaven. But also, you have the advantage of his return. Look at 14:3. For if I go, and I am, and I prepare a place for you, guess what that implies? I am coming back for you. I am coming again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And I love this because in chapter 13, you see the foot washer, the servant. And in chapter 14, here he's talking about the host of heaven. He's like, I'm telling you, let me tell you about my father's house. I'm going to prepare a place for you. And I can't wait to. Come back, I'm going to get you because I'm going to take you there, and I can't wait to show you. There's so much in store. So much.

22:40And for those who are in Christ, they not only have forgiveness for their past, but they have hope for a glorious future. This world is not all there is. And if that is you right now, if you are not in Christ, guess what? This world is your best life now. There isn't another good life coming. But if you're in Christ, your sins have been dealt with. There is a sacrifice. And you are in Him. If you are in Him, you have a future. It just gets better. You can say by analogy, He is the one who brings the best wine out last, not at the first.

23:29So, are you having your best life now? And listen, if you live and this is where your hope is, then circumstances are going to rock your world. How can you tell where your hope is if the difficulties, the perplexities, the broken relationships, the things that happen in this world, if that turns your boat upside down, you don't know the Christ of Scripture. You don't know what's in. Store for you. You don't, your mind is somewhere else.

24:05What Christ is saying, it's better for you that I go away so that your sins will be forgiven and so that you will have a hope for the future. There is a huge difference between those who have heaven's hope and those who do not. Be honest with yourself today. Do you have heaven's hope? Through the proclamation of the word today, you are invited to put your faith and trust in him and have that hope. Third, three advantages of Jesus' departure.

24:45First, there is forgiveness for our past. Second, there is hope for our future. And third, there is power for our present. Power for our present. Now, why do we need power for our present? Well, the answer is given in chapter 16:1. This is where we'll jump in to the passage before us this morning. But look at Jesus' concern. Jesus's concern is that he doesn't want his disciples falling away because of the persecution that they are sure to face. Jesus is going to be persecuted. Jesus is going to be taken away from them. And then, since Jesus isn't going to be around, The hatred that the world has for Christ is going to be taken out on his disciples. And so, what is Jesus' concern in all this? Look at verse 1. These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. And that's everything that he has just said above. We looked at that last time about how they're going to be hated, how they're, and the root cause of all that is they don't, they hate the father, they hate the son, and so they're going to hate those who bear his name.

26:00But look at what he says: These things I have spoken to you, so that you may be kept from stumbling. And the word there for stumbling is the word we get scandalized from, so that you will not be scandalized. And the idea of being scandalized is to be led into a path of sin. That's what scandal is, right? To be led into a path of sin, a shameful way of life, to shameful conduct. And so, what he's saying here is, I don't want you, I've told you these things, persecution is going to come to you, and I don't want you to be led into a path of sin because of the persecution. I don't want you to get all hypnotized by the persecution and change your stance on me and be led into disaster. It's the same word, scandalized, is in Matthew 5:29. If you're Right eye scandalizes you, gouge it out. If your right hand scandalizes you, throw it away from you. If it leads you into a path of sin, get rid of it. That's the concept. And he's telling them this so that they will not be scandalized. In fact, in the parable of the soils in Matthew 13:21, the word is used to describe that seed that grew on the shallow soil, and the sun hit it, persecution, and it wilted. Same word. It was scandalized. It died, fell away.

27:40And so it's interesting to pay attention here and understand what the danger is not. They're going to be persecuted hard. Jesus is going to be crucified. They're going to witness that. They're going to lose all kinds of position in society. They'll lose home. They'll lose property. They'll lose life. They will be ostracized. But all that's not the real danger. The danger is falling away from the truth. And that's what persecution does. It comes and it puts pressure. And what that pressure does is it causes people to abandon the truth and take an easier route. Persecution can cause people to go down a path of sin.

28:30That's the danger. The danger is falling away from the truth, from following the Christ that is revealed in Scripture. And, you know, I need to be kept from falling, right? Because we will. I will. You will. Unless there is a strengthening from within, his disciples are not going to be able to stand. They're not even going to make it. Peter's, the leader of them, is going to deny even knowing Jesus. How are they going to be ready to withstand the persecution that's going to be on a much more monumental scale? Some kind of strengthening has to take place on the inside, or they're never going to be able to stand.

29:20But look at what Jesus goes on to say: He says, Look, the times of persecution are going to come. Verse 2, he kind of reiterates what he had said in the verses before. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue. That is, they are going to marginalize you, ostracize you. You're going to be social misfits and outcasts and excluded. That's what they're going to do to you. But an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. Their thinking is going to be so warped that as they kill people, they're thinking that I am offering a service, that this is pleasing. To God. That's how off they are going to be.

30:05You ever heard the phrase, Allah Akbar? And then you get the in that radical form of Islam, what do you have? Praise God, blam, right? But it didn't just happen, begin with Islam. It goes back even here, but Jesus is specifically speaking about the Judaism of the day. They are going to, they're going to kill you, and they're going to think this is a service to God. This is a condition of man. That somehow, fallen man, apart from truth, apart from biblical truth, is going to go down a road grossly off. As we can look at church history, what is so-called church history, right? Boy, you can see a lot of that. I will remind you that at some of the executions of some of the greatest Bible minds, there were sermons preached as a burned people who loved the scripture.

31:17And they think they're doing God. That is where it's going to go. Disciples, you are going to face this. And Jesus tells them, Let me tell you why these times of persecution are going to happen. Let me tell you what they'll do, but let me tell you why. They do it. Look at verse 3. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or me. Their ignorance, and much of that is willful ignorance. But they do not know the Father, they do not know the Son.

31:50It's interesting the compassion that Jesus has, even upon such ignorance. You see this displayed in Luke 23:34, as he's just been crucified, and hears these soldiers there. And what does Jesus say, Father, forgive them. They don't have a clue what they're doing. That's our Lord. But when persecution comes, Jesus goes on, Let me give you instruction in verse 4. Let me give you instruction for these times of persecution when they do come. They are coming, and when they do come, I want you to have some instruction here. Look at verse 4. But these things I have spoken to you so that when their hour comes, you notice just that when their hour comes, there is a time of persecution. It will come, but it's an hour. Just as Jesus's hour had come, so there is an hour of persecution that's going to come upon the disciples.

32:50I have told you this so that you may remember that I told you these, told you of them. I'm telling you, these things are happening. So that when you do experience this persecution, it will be more of a testimony to the reliability of God than it is something's gone grossly wrong. And John's audience that he is writing to the end of the 21st century, first century, really needed this information, right? Yeah, they're experiencing persecution. Guess what? That's a fulfillment of what Jesus said. Look what he says at the end of verse 4. These things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. What was Jesus' doing? Why didn't he tell them this? Well, he's saying it's because I was with you. I was the one keeping you. I was the one taking the, my presence kept you.

33:49He's going to speak about this in chapter 17: that I have kept them, but his presence kept them. But now, guess what? He's leaving. He's leaving. So, just to recap what just said, Jesus' concern is that he doesn't want his disciples falling away when persecution comes. Persecution is coming, and he doesn't want his disciples scandalized or led down a path of sin when it comes. But notice that Jesus sees where he is going as really the solution to his concern. Look at verse 5. But now I am going to him who sent me. And none of you asks me where you are going.

34:42It's interesting because didn't Peter in chapter 13 and verse 36, what did he say? Didn't he say, Jesus, Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered, where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow me later. And here, Jesus is saying, none of you asks me where you are going. What's going on between these two? Well, what Peter is asking, he's not really having a deep inquiry into where Jesus is going. Like, where's your ultimate destination? What Peter is saying, I can follow you wherever you're going, and if you're going to death, I certainly can go to death with you because I'm willing to die for you. So Peter is, it's not a serious inquiry into where Jesus is really going. It's more a statement of about, I am able to follow you. What do you mean, I can't go where you are going? I'm ready to die. So what's happening here, what Jesus is saying is, none of you are really seriously getting my words and asking the right question. Where? Specifically, where are you going? And when Jesus is saying, I want you to think about where I'm going. Am going because it impacts everything, and it is your advantage where I am going.

36:10And it says in verse 6, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. See, look, it's to your advantage I should go, but because you have no idea where I'm going, sorrow has gripped you. But if you had an idea where I was going, you would understand the advantage. And so Jesus' concern, he doesn't want them falling away. He sees where he is going as significant to that concern or as addressing that concern because what Jesus wants to do is strengthen his disciples from within. Look back at verse 7. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come. But if I go, I will send him to you. In other words, it's necessary for me to go in order for the helper, the Holy Spirit. He's talked much about this already, and he's going to talk about it again in the verses ahead, which is part two of this. Another advantage as to why Jesus went away or why I'm thankful is for the whole ministry of the Holy Spirit.

37:30Why? Good question. Why will the Holy Spirit not come to his disciples unless Jesus goes to the Father? Why? Why won't He just give Him the Holy Spirit now? Well, there's some answers not completely given, but we can be sure that unless Jesus went to the cross, went through the grave, came out of the grave, ascended into heaven, there would be no basis to give the Holy Spirit, right? Because the Holy Spirit is holy. A Spirit given to those who are made holy.

38:08He is completely unfit for anything else. Let me say it like this: man is completely unfit for him. It's two different worlds. He does not come to energize, to strengthen sin. He comes to strengthen that which is holy. And so Jesus, you need the covering. You need your sins forgiven. You need the advantage of the cross. It's because of the cross. It's because of the grave. It's because that I came out of the grave. It's because I ascended to the right hand of the Father that now I have the authority to send the Holy Spirit to you, who will strengthen you from within.

38:52And then you'll be able to face what I'm facing. Why could Jesus go to the cross and put up with all he did? What? Kind of a spirit is this? And guess what he wants to share with his disciples? His own Holy Spirit. Look, it's a matter of history that the post-Pentecost inner strength of the disciples was much stronger in Jesus' physical absence than it was in the upper room in his physical presence. Right? Jesus didn't go away to remove his presence, he went away to expand his presence, to deepen his presence, to put that presence within all of his people.

39:44So I'm very thankful. Very thankful that he went away. See, we need forgiveness for our past, right? We need forgiveness. We need hope for our future. We need power in our presence. And that was this departure. This is what he is telling his disciples. I need to go away so that you will have forgiveness for your past. And boy, they're going to need that. Hope for their future. Boy, they're going to need that because it's not going to come from the world. And power for their present as they stand in the midst of persecution without being scandalized and caused to walk down. Path of sin. Listen, that's what's happening in our society all around us. That happens to us on an individual level.

40:38Just to show you how brutal this is, I meant to show this a minute ago, but have you ever heard of the Upchucky Awards? Kind of funny, but there's a lot of venom in it. So this National Center for Science Education has started to do this first, or these Upchucky Awards. And Upchucky Awards, it's kind of a, well, you know what Upchuck is? It's kind of an easy way to say vomit, this vomit award. Okay, so here is the award, and it goes to the creationist who is the most nauseating. Okay?

41:16When it comes to dissing evolution and science in general, there is no lack of volunteers. How to decide which among all these creationists is the worst? Enter the intelligently designed Upchucky Award, which recognizes supreme achievement in the field of persistently rejecting evolution in the most stomach-turning way imaginable. This crown of cluelessness, this diadem of density, this badge of bullpucky isn't awarded just to any Darwin doubter. The Upchucky is bestowed on that one creationist whose efforts in the preceding year would inspire Darwin. Darwin to drive the porcelain bus, meaning go to the bathroom and vomit.

42:10So here are their nominees. This is a few years back. And so you've got Al Jazeera, you've got Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute, you've got Ray Comfort of Living Waters, and then you've got a local person here in our dentist in our area named Don McElroy. I don't know if you know him, but he was the former chair of the Texas Board of Education. And guess who won the award? We have a celebrity. Donald McElroy won the Upchucky Award. Don is a dentist, and when he's not drilling, he's filling the Texas board with an amalgam of misinformation and misunderstanding about evolution. His numbing effect on the board is accompanied by a high-pitched whine, the sound of Don drilling holes in the Texas state science standards, which, if you look into the case, really, all he really did was say we need to treat evolution as a theory and had a lot of sway at the state level at the Texas Board of Education. So if you're out getting your teeth cleaned or drilled, go over and congratulate Don McElroy. But the point of this, that's kind of a It's not funny, really, but there's a lot of venom there. But this is our world, right?

43:43We are going to face growing hostility. You will do so on a personal level within your peers, sometimes, sometimes even within your own family, sometimes within your community. They will make you outcast. Jesus said, Remember, I told you this is coming. Remember. But the advantages for everyone who believes in Christ, forgiveness for our sins, hope for our future, power for our presence. Ponder these things as you enter into the Thanksgiving week and celebrate, as you put in your box reasons why you are thankful. I'm thankful because my sins are forgiven because I have hope for the future, because I have power to live in my presence.

44:46That's why I am thankful that Christ went away. That's why this passage makes so much sense to me now. In the act of proceeding to his throne, the Obeyed his father perfectly. The father exalted his son supremely. The power of Satan was broken. And we can be sure that Jesus' glory is going to fill the earth. So let us love as he loved, and let us continue to make disciples from all those among the nations. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks that you went away.

45:30Striking confession. But it's true, unless you went away, there would be no forgiveness of sins. There would be no hope for our future. There would be no abiding presence, your Holy Spirit. So, Father, thank you for all of these. Thank you, Jesus, that you went away, and thank you that you will come back, Father. And we thank you. Help us to respond in a way to these truths that is most pleasing to you. In Jesus' name.