Greater Things Ahead

Sermon Quick Summary
God is so good and faithful; God can be trusted. For many of us the year 2025 seems like living in the distant future. God was faithful in the past, is faithful in the present, and can be trusted for the future. In John 14:7-12, Jesus makes a statement that is an exciting invitation for each of us about what lies ahead for followers of Christ. Jesus is declaring that knowing Jesus is the key to knowing God, because Jesus and God are one. The vision of Jesus for the future is a result of Jesus going to God the Father. God’s Holy Spirit is the source of divine power which resides in followers of Jesus who can experience the power of the Risen Lord to do greater things. Examples of greater things by the followers of Jesus guided by the Holy Spirit include declaration of faith during baptism and receiving the right hand fellowship as new members.
 
God is so good and faithful; God can be trusted.
            Sometimes time has to pass before we recognize God’s faithfulness and know firsthand that God can be trusted. Sometimes it takes going through some things and getting on the other side, to see how God sustained us and brought us through to the other side. Then we too can sing with gusto, “I sought the Lord, He heard and He answered. I trust in God.” For many of us, trusting God is something we learn over time through many experiences that can lead us one day to say like the old-timers, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. I trust in God.”

For many of us the year 2025 seems like living in the distant future.
            Pastor Tammy Long shared remembering sitting on back steps in New Jersey one summer in 1973. She remembered calculating how old she was going to be in the year 2000 which felt like light-years away to her. Then almost with the blink of an eye, 2000 was here with all the Y2K drama. The world was singing 'Party like it is 1999,' which Prince released in 1982. The year 2000 came and went with little fanfare besides the turn of another century.
            We aren’t quite living today like the Jetsons which is set in 2062, but it does feel like the future is picking up speed, especially the speed of technology. There have been a number of sci-fi movies set in 2025, which often paint a dark or dystopian future. Examples are “Time cop 2: The Berlin Decision,” a 2003 video sequel set in 2025, involving time-traveling law enforcement, “Repo Men,” a 2010 film set in 2025, where artificial organs are repossessed from clients who fail to pay, and “Future sport,” a 1998 television film set in 2025, where a futuristic sport is used to resolve global conflicts.
            Here we are in 2025, the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, ready or not.

God was faithful in the past, is faithful in the present, and can be trusted for the future.
            The good news is God has been present and faithful through wars and rumors of wars, through earthquakes, floods and fires, through pandemics, environmental, political, and social crises. God has been with us, guiding, comforting, protecting, providing, and advocating in us, for us, and through us in ways we may not have seen or recognized. God was present based on God’s promise never to leave us or forsake us, even when it didn’t feel that way. We won’t know the fullness of God’s presence in history until we see things when Jesus returns.
            In fact, when Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure through His death, resurrection, and return to heaven, Jesus makes a statement which is an exciting invitation.

In John 14:7-12, Jesus makes a statement that is an exciting invitation for each of us about what lies ahead for followers of Christ.
            In John 14, we join a conversation where Jesus is speaking to the disciples. “7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. 8 Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ 9 Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father’” (John 14:7-12).

Jesus is declaring that knowing Jesus is the key to knowing God, because Jesus and God are one.
            John 14:7-12 takes place in the intimate setting of an upper room known as the Last Supper. Jesus, aware that His crucifixion is near, is sharing this moment with His closest disciples, preparing them for life and ministry after His departure. He is preparing them for the future. These verses are rich with meaning, hope, and challenge, pointing to the power and purpose God had not only for them but for us as well. Jesus begins this part by addressing the disciples’ desire to see God the Father. “He declares, 'If you really know me, you will know my Father as well'” (John 14:7).
            Although the disciples recognized Jesus as the Holy One, the Messiah, they didn’t understand Jesus’ relationship to the Father. They didn’t recognize Jesus was Immanuel meaning God with us in human physical form. They didn’t yet understand who Jesus really was. Philip’s request, 'Lord, show us the Father' (John 14:7), reflects a longing many of us have to experience God’s presence more fully. In fact, this was the same longing Moses expressed in Exodus 33 when Moses asked to see the face of God Moses and was met with a different response. God said to Moses, 'You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live' (Exodus 33:20).
            There was a divine shift when Jesus came. Jesus explains in verses 9-11, that Jesus and God the Father are one. Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. This truth invites us to shift our perspective. Instead of looking for signs or symbols of the spiritual or looking to a disembodied universe, we meet God in Jesus, in His words, actions, and presence on earth. Jesus said He is in the Father and the Father is in Him; they are one and the same. To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus embodies God’s character, power, and love, giving us the confident assurance that through Christ, we can truly know God. This is why Jesus can say, 'if you have seen me, you have seen the Father' (John 14:9). Moses couldn’t experience God in the flesh; the disciples did, and we can also. To see Jesus is to see the face of God!
            Now we’ve had thousands of years to try and wrap our minds around the idea of Jesus being God incarnate, and for many it’s still hard. Imagine these 1st-century disciples trying to comprehend that they were engaging with God! It’s mind-exploding even for us. But Jesus seems to understand the struggle. In verse 11, Jesus says, 'Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.' The works of the Son affirm Jesus’ divinity as the works of the Father. Jesus says He did nothing of His own authority. His works are God’s works. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. This is a mystery to us, but truth nonetheless.
            Perhaps the most staggering statement in this passage is found in verse 12, where Jesus says, 'Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.' This is a promise that challenges us to raise our expectations and think differently. First, notice that this promise is bigger than the disciples. Jesus said whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and greater things. This is a future vision and promise. What’s more, this promise is broader than Jesus’ specific acts. Jesus is not saying that we will do and surpass His miracles. Miracles performed by the disciples or us do not appear to be what Jesus is saying. We are not talking about walking on water, feeding 5000, or raising people from the dead. That has not happened in the two-thousand years since New Testament times. And while the disciples did similar miracles, they didn’t come close to doing all Jesus did.          

The vision of Jesus for the future is a result of Jesus going to God the Father.
            Unlike the disciples, or the world for that matter, no one had ever known about greater things ahead. Jesus is clearly casting a future vision for believers. Jesus tells us that this future is a result of Jesus going to the Father. For Jesus to say His believers will do greater things, as perplexing as those words may be, is exciting, inspiring and encouraging; that appears to be Jesus’ intention. Jesus promised that His followers would not only do the works he did but even greater things and greater works at some point in the future.  Jesus’ eminent departure, with the pain and suffering Jesus was about to experience, and the betrayal, fear and sadness Jesus knew the disciples would face, painted a picture of a desirable future despite difficult circumstances. Jesus’ followers could anticipate, look forward to and live into that future. In fact it’s a future we are living right now.
            So what did Jesus mean when he said those who believe in me will do the works I have been doing and greater things than these? Scholars have offered many suggestions over the centuries. Typical responses focus on: the expanse in quantity and scope of Jesus’ continuing ministry, the great commission to all nations, the worldwide church after Pentecost, and the Body of Christ at work in the world. These are all greater things when you consider the magnitude of believers over time. As incredible as Jesus’ ministry was, He was one person.  The ripple effect of his works has indeed spread far and wide for thousands of years. So, yes, these are indeed examples of greater things.  However, when we focus just on the expanse and quantity of Jesus’ continuing impact and ministry, we can miss the core of what Jesus was trying to tell us.
            We can also miss the greater things that may seem small but are just as powerful and mighty in the Kingdom of God. Think about Jesus' words about how faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, or what Jesus did with one small lunch of loaves and fish, or Jesus’ affirmation of the women who gave the two little coins (all she had) for her offering, or Jesus’ parable of leaving 99 sheep to rescue the one that was lost. Jesus has never considered bigger and larger as better or greater. So there has to be more to Jesus’ promise of greater things than quantity, scope and expanse. The clue to the greater things Jesus is talking about is in the latter part of the verse, where he gives the condition for how greater things will happen. Jesus said you will do greater things because I am going to the Father. Jesus often stated that His journey to the Father involves going to the cross, laying down his life, rising from the dead, ascending to heaven, and sending God’s Holy Spirit to empower us, help us, and strengthen us.
 
God’s Holy Spirit is the source of divine power which resides in followers of Jesus who can experience the power of the Risen Lord to do greater things. 
            A few chapters later in John 16:7 Jesus explains the fullness of this journey further. This verse in the Amplified Bible, says, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you to be in close fellowship with you.” Jesus went to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to do the works Jesus did and greater things: works of humility and service like Jesus, works of forgiveness and compassion like Jesus, works of faith, prayer, leadership, mercy, administration, and miracles from spiritual gifts that are given to us by the Holy Spirit. Any goodness we do for God is by God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit within us. As humans we are essentially selfish and self-centered. Work of the Holy Spirit is not our natural bent, or tendency. None of these greater things can be done without the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers require the grace of God and alignment with the Holy Spirit. When we are aligned with the God’s Holy Spirit, all works of the Holy Spirit enables us to point people to Jesus, just like Jesus’ works pointed people to the Father.
            The Bible says the Holy Spirit resides in us, and we are in Christ just like the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father. This is a trinity mystery, but the good works the Spirit enables us to do is evidence that God is the source and at work in our lives. It’s not us or even about us; it is about God working through us. The greater things Jesus is talking about results in a new reality that had never been true in the history of the world. Because of Jesus’ journey to the Father, followers of Jesus can experience the power of the Risen Lord by God’s Spirit dwelling within them.
            We tend to take the divine power of the Holy Spirit and the future Jesus promised for granted. The Spirit of the Risen Lord, the Holy Spirit of the Triune God, God’s power lives within us, is at work through us, and enables us to do the greater things Jesus promised for a future that had not yet happened. But for us that future is now. Today, we are part of Jesus’ continuing mission. We are living the future Jesus was talking about. He did return to the Father, and through the Spirit, we have access to God’s power to bring transformation, healing, and hope in this broken world. Jesus’ promise of greater things reminds us that the story is not over. God’s work did not end with Jesus’ earthly ministry; rather, it continues through us. The same Spirit that worked in Christ now works in and through His followers. And while we are living it right now, there are still greater things ahead and greater things to come!
            What do these “greater things” look like in our context today? The greater things Jesus was talking about are any good work, big or small, empowered by the Holy Spirit that reflects and points to Jesus. Greater things are sisters and brothers using their gifts inside and outside church walls to serve, love, and share the good news of Jesus. Emulating Jesus’ Spirit in humility requires letting go of our own agendas, prideful ambition, and serving unto the Lord. Greater things are lives transformed by the power of the Gospel and the presence of the Holy Spirit. As we share God’s message of love and hope, we must submit to the Holy Spirit because we can’t make anyone come to Christ. Greater things are people stepping out in faith to follow Christ and commit to His mission, seeking God’s ways and His Kingdom in a world going in the opposite direction of looking out for self.

Examples of greater things by the followers of Jesus guided by the Holy Spirit include declaration of faith during baptism and receiving the right hand fellowship as new members.
            In the service today, we are eyewitnesses to greater things. as we celebrate sisters and brothers in Christ make a declaration of faith during baptism and receive fellowship as new members. The Holy Spirit resides in each one of them and will lead, guide, and sustain them to do good works. They shared an outward expression of the inward transformation of new life in Christ. The Big C church, meaning the people of God around the world, is itself an example of greater things. For over 2,000 years after Pentecost, when God’s church was born, the church of God is still standing, active and alive by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The focus of the Church is the people of God who are committed to God’s Word and following God faithfully. Through history, those who have called themselves followers of Jesus have not always gotten it right. There has been and continues to be a lot of things done or said in the name of Jesus that are not true to God’s Word or God’s vision for the world. The Church means not a church building, not a religion, or a nationalized version of Christianity, but those who truly love God with their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
            God’s church is still God’s primary vehicle to impact this broken world. God still wants to use his church to heal, provide hope, and touch people with his love. As we look to the future of this country, followers of Jesus committed to God’s word and God’s way are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact in a climate of divisiveness, hate, injustice, and inequities. Now is the exact time and moment that God wants to do greater things through God’s people to exemplify what God’s Kingdom is like to a fallen and hurting world for such a time as this.
            The Church itself, as the body of Christ, filled with God’s Spirit, is an example of greater things and is charged to do greater things as each member contributes to the work God is doing in the world. Whether through acts of service, sharing the Gospel, or simply walking in love and unity, we are fulfilling Jesus’ promise of greater things.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Quick Summary
-For further explanation of any statement in the Quick Summary, review that section and consider the questions for that section.
God is so good and faithful; God can be trusted.
-In what circumstances have you faced challenges in trusting God? In difficult circumstances what has helped you in trusting God?
-In what ways has God made God’s love and mercy known to you and your neighbors?
For many of us the year 2025 seems like living in the distant future.
-In what ways has the rapid changes in technology changed how you view your life in 2025, the end of the first quarter of the 21st century?
God was faithful in the past, is faithful in the present, and can be trusted for the future.
-In what ways has God been faithful in the past and faithful in the present in your life or the lives of others?
-How are African American spirituals, hymns, or music from the Civil Rights Movement connecting points between past and current struggles?
In John 14:7-12, Jesus makes a statement that is an exciting invitation for each of us about what lies ahead for followers of Christ.
-Review the declaration of Jesus in John 14: 7-12. What statement resonates with you to apply in your life?
Jesus is declaring that knowing Jesus is the key to knowing God, because Jesus and God are one.
-Why should the truth that Jesus and God are one be important in your life?
-Instead of looking for spiritual signs or symbols, how have you been able to see God through Jesus’ advent on earth?
The vision of Jesus for the future is a result of Jesus going to God the Father.
-Why is the vision and invitation of Jesus for the exciting future the result of Jesus going to God the Father?
God’s Holy Spirit is the source of divine power which resides in followers of Jesus who can experience the power of the Risen Lord to do greater things.
-What is the central role of God’s Holy Spirit in your life that enables you to do great things? Why?
-What do these greater things look like in your life today and in the future?
Examples of greater things by the followers of Jesus guided by the Holy Spirit include declaration of faith during baptism and receiving the right hand of fellowship as new members.
-What examples of greater things by the followers of Jesus guided by the Holy Spirit resonates with you in your life today and for the future?

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