Title: I Am With You Always
Scripture: Matthew 28:20
Speaker: Nate Pickowicz
Well, if you had been with us on December 15th, 2019, you would have joined us in our very first study of the Gospel of Matthew. Leading up to the study of Matthew, however, we spent four months looking at Christ in the Old Testament, including an exploration of the servant songs of Isaiah. Following that study, we also studied the prophecy of Malachi from October to December of that same year.
All of that in preparation for this study that has gone on these years. Altogether, we have spent five and a half years learning about the kingship of Jesus Christ through the pen of the apostle Matthew. Through these last five and a half years, Matthew's gospel has walked with us through the ups and downs of life and ministry like a trustworthy companion.
More than that, it's in the Gospel of Matthew that we've seen that Christ himself has been our constant companion and he has been walking with us. When COVID shut down the whole world, even when it halted in-person services here for 11 weeks, Christ was there for us in Matthew's gospel. When we outgrew our previous building and purchased this property and spent 20 months renovating it, Christ was here with us in the Gospel of Matthew.
When we were blessed with another pastor and then had to say goodbye to him as he was called to another church, Christ was there with us. Even my own son, Matthew, is here with us this morning in the front row. As our church has doubled in size since 2019, Christ has been with us in the Gospel of Matthew through joys and victories and triumphs through sadness, loss and trials.
The one constant that has remained these last five and a half years has been the voice of Jesus Christ speaking to us in the Gospel of Matthew. What have we learned in all these years together doing this? Well, in the six months leading up to Matthew, as well as the first chapter or so, we learned that Christ is the eternal and promised Messiah who was sent to his people at the proper time. We learned of his humility and selflessness and obedience as the son of God in chapters three and four.
We learned of his impeccability and his sinlessness, his ministry of preaching and teaching and healing. We listened to him preach to us in the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever delivered in Matthew five, chapter five, six and seven. We saw Christ's power put on display in chapter eight and nine.
We also saw his program of ministry in chapters 10 through 13. We learned from Jesus's parables. We watched him feed the multitudes.
We were with the disciples when Jesus announced the birth of the church in chapter 16. We also were there when Peter made his great confession. We saw Christ on the Mount, the Transfiguration in chapter 17, and we were warned against stumbling blocks in the subsequent chapter.
We learned about restoring and rescuing lost sheep through church discipline in Matthew 18, as well as Christ's teaching on marriage, divorce and remarriage in chapter 19. Chapter 21 was Passion Week, and we watched Jesus dismantle the arguments of his opponents. We learned of his second coming in the Olivet Discourse in chapter 24 and 25, and we followed him into Gethsemane, to the court, to the cross and to the tomb.
And then we had the blessed opportunity to rejoice with him in his resurrection. And now we find ourself here at the end of Matthew's gospel and we hear his final words to the disciples, the great claim that all authority belongs to Christ, the great commission that we are to make disciples of all nations. And now we are at the great comfort, the abiding presence of Christ.
And so for the 185th time, I would ask you to turn with me to the gospel of Matthew in your copy of Scripture, chapter 28, verse 20. As we look at the final sentence of the gospel, I think it'll be helpful for us to read the paragraph again, just for the sake of context. So here we are at the very last paragraph, Matthew 28, starting in verse 16.
But the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We need to keep in mind that Jesus never says anything in a vacuum.
His final promise here to us at the end of verse 20 is inextricably linked to the previous comments. And so what I want to do here for our time together this morning is I want to examine the verse itself and we're going to see its place in the passage. But I also want to explore the broader truth of what exists in the realm of Scripture.
And then finally, I want to apply this to us as we may understand it in its context to our own lives. In the second half of verse 20 here, Jesus declares, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Jesus will draw attention to the statement by saying this word lo.
We don't really use that word lo anymore. It's a good word. This word in the Greek is edu and it appears six times just in this chapter alone.
But in other places in the chapter further up the page, it's rendered in this translation as behold, behold. It's the same word as lo here. Of course, the function often dictates the translation.
In other words, how the word is used will determine how translators will render it. For example, William Hendrickson renders this word remember or note well, whereas D.A. Carson will read this as surely. But the purpose of the word is to direct the listener to the promise.
It's pointing us to the promise that Christ is giving. And what is that promise? Here is the promise. I am with you always.
So remember that. Note that. Behold that.
Of course, we have to remember what's what's going on in the passage. Where are we? Jesus has died on the cross to pay for our sins. He was buried in the tomb, rose again the third day, and now he has appeared to the disciples.
He told them to go to Galilee. That's where there are now. He's going to go there and travel there with them.
They're going to receive their marching orders. And so now they're back with Jesus. They're standing in front of him, but it's only temporary.
In fact, he told them only a few weeks earlier that he was going to go away and that the father would send the Holy Spirit to help them. So how many or excuse me, do any of the disciples, do they want him to go away? The answer is no, they don't want him to go away. They want him to stay.
They've already lost him once. They don't want to lose him again. But he's preparing them for his departure, because when he goes, he's going to commission them as apostles, ones sent with authority to bear his authority that he's already claimed in chapter 28, verse 18.
And bearing that apostolic authority, they're going to be tasked with the responsibility of making disciples of all the nations. But these are precious moments and they're no doubt thinking, how in the world are we going to do any of this? Well, how do we know they're thinking that? Well, because they couldn't even stay faithful for one hour in the garden. That would have been rattling around in their minds.
We know from John chapter 20 that Peter is obviously cut to the core when Jesus reminds him of his betrayal. If we couldn't even stay faithful for one hour in the garden, how in the world are we going to be faithful for the next 40 years of ministry? The answer is that they will not be without him. They're not going to be by themselves figuring it out.
In fact, he's going to walk with them every single step of the way. But notice what he says here. Look at this, my friends.
He does not say, I will be with you. Doesn't say that. He says, I am with you.
Huge difference. What this is talking about here is what we know to be the abiding presence of Christ, the abiding presence of Christ. I am with you.
And not just now, not just present tense, but he says, always, I am with you always. Literally, the phrase means the whole of every day. That's literally what the Greek translates out to be the whole of every day.
When you're asleep, when you're waking up in the morning, when you're working, when you're resting, I'm with you when you're up, when you're down, today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. I'm with you into old age. I'm with you in your final moments on this planet.
And I am going to be with you forevermore. That's what he's talking about. The whole of every day.
I am with you always. But here's the thing. This is not a new promise.
This is not new information in the Bible. The Lord comforts his servants all this way throughout the course of Scripture. If you think back in your minds to Genesis 38, when Joseph is enslaved in Egypt, we read in Genesis 38, too, and the Lord was with Joseph.
So he became a successful man. Verse three. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Even in slavery, Joseph knew and it was evident to all that God was with him. But even when Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, we read in Genesis 38, 21. But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
Even all the way back 3,500 years into religious history, we see that God is with his servant. When God called Moses to lead the people back out of Egypt, he told Moses in Exodus 3, 12, certainly I will be with you and this shall be a sign to you that as I have sent to you that when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain. He's talking about Sinai.
But he promises I'm going to be with you. He promised to be with him in the midst of seemingly impossible tasks. Or Joshua, when God called him to lead the army of Israel against the Canaanite nations, he tells him in Joshua 1, 5, just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.
I will not fail you or forsake you. Verse 9, be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
The abiding presence of the Lord or the people of Israel, they knew this reality. Psalm 46, one of the most famous psalms out there. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. God promises them in Isaiah 41, 10, do not fear. Do not fear, for I am with you.
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you.
Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. You can trace the faithfulness of God to be with his people all throughout scripture. This is not a new promise.
But even regarding Jesus's words to the disciples in Matthew 28, never in history had any believer heard such a promise from God through the mouth of the incarnate son who was standing before them. This was a new experience. They knew about this promise from scripture, but now you have Jesus Christ standing there saying, I am with you.
But beyond this, even the incarnation itself bears the promise of God abiding with us. If you think back in your mind at the beginning of the study in Matthew's gospel, before Jesus is even born, the angel promises Joseph, he says, Mary, your wife will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. And then the angel cites the prophecy from Isaiah 7, 14.
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which translated is God with us. His very name means that he's with us. Jesus came into the world for the express purpose of being with his people in a saving relationship.
It's who he is. John 1, 14, the word became flesh and dwelt with us and we have seen his glory. Or even if you think about the ministry of reconciliation and restoration through the church, church discipline and in Matthew 18, 20, he tells the disciples for where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.
So even when we work together and minister together for the benefit of one another, he's here with us. He's promised this. This is the consistent witness to the remarkable truth of the abiding presence of Christ with us.
And so Jesus tells the disciples here, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. But then this compels us to ask another question. And I know this is this is the question rattling around in your minds because it's been in my mind, too.
How is it possible that Jesus can say that he is with us, especially considering that he ascends back into heaven six weeks after the resurrection? Jesus tells the disciples, I'm with you, and then he leaves. How does that work? How was Paul able to testify in 2 Timothy 4, 17, but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth? How can he say that? The answer has everything to do with Jesus's eternal, consubstantial, unified relationship with the Holy Spirit. Turn over to John chapter 14 and your copy of Scripture.
John 14, the night before Jesus goes to the cross, he is dining with the disciples over the Passover meal. And he's offered what we now know is the upper room discourse. That's John chapters 13 to 17.
But in this discourse, he provides encouragement and instructions for the events that are about to take place. But chapter 14 and John's gospel, John 14, he specifically addresses what's going to happen when he goes away. He tells them, I'm going to go away.
Remember back in the beginning part of John 14, he says, I'm going to go, but I'm going to come back. I'm going to take you with me where I am. You will be with me also.
And then he says, you know, the way the disciples respond, Lord, how will we know the way? Then he says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. So it's in that context of Jesus going away and promising the disciples that he's going to be with them.
But then we read in chapter 14, verse 16, he's continuing along in this discussion. He says in verse 16, I will ask the father and he will give you another helper. That he will be with you forever, that is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you.
And we'll be in you, then he says, I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you after a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live and you will live also in that day. You will know that I am in my father and you and me and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and will disclose myself to him.
And then Judas, who's not Judas Iscariot, said to him, Lord, what then has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him and listen to this and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine, but the father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you, 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 said to you.
And so there's a lot here in this passage. But just for our purposes, Jesus is introducing the impending arrival of the Holy Spirit up to this point. The Holy Spirit at least appears to be a minor character up to this point.
He's certainly not. But he appears that way because of the the number of times we see him. But from this point on, we start to see an increased discussion about him.
We see his fingerprint a lot more. But Jesus is ramping up. He's preparing the disciples to see him and receive him.
He's talking about this time that in two months at Pentecost, the spirit's going to come in a very powerful, real and abiding way. He tells them that, yes, while he's going to go away to the cross, he's going to ascend back to heaven. But the Holy Spirit is going to come in his place.
Verse 17, he abides with you and will be in you. This is new information. It shouldn't have been because Jesus or the Lord promises this back in the when he announces the new covenant.
Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, there's discussion about God putting his law within their hearts and the spirit he's putting within them. But they miss that. But he's pointing to that again.
He's not just going to be with you. He's going to be in you. The spirit of God is going to take up his residence in you.
And this is a reference now to the to the conversion of the believer and the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence at the point of conversion. The Bible teaches that when God's chosen people hear and believe the gospel, it's at that time that the spirit indwells their hearts. He comes into them and he remakes them from the inside out.
The very first work is belief. He causes us to believe in him. He causes us to trust in him.
He also gives us understanding and conviction. He empowers us for ministry. He sanctifies us and so much more.
But part of his ministry is one of comfort. He comforts us. In fact, Romans 8, 16 says the spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
It's as if the Holy Spirit, when he comes into our hearts, he he takes up residence, but he's talking to our hearts because our hearts fail us all the time, don't they? My heart is feeble, my heart lies to me, my heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and I'm guessing yours is too. But he indwells us and he speaks truth to our hearts, he corrects the lies, he ministers comfort, he tells us you are a child of God. You belong to him.
It's the Lord's abiding presence with us through the spirit that gives us comfort and confirms this. He says in verse 20, in that day, the day that the spirit comes into us and indwells us in that day, you will know that I am in my father and you and me and I and you. When the spirit comes, he's going to do a couple of things here.
He's going to speak to you through his word and in your conscience. He's going to work these two together. Our conscience, devoid of the word, gets led astray, but we need the word of God to apply to our conscience and inform our conscience, but he works with both.
He convicts our conscience, but he speaks to us by his word. And in doing this, he's affirming to us, number one, that Jesus Christ is God and is one with the father. Our hearts know this.
We worship Christ as God and we know that he is united eternally with the father and with the spirit. That gets confirmed to us. But by that, the spirit, we are also bound to him.
We feel this deep connection to God and we can't always explain it in the moment. If you were to say, how do you know you're a Christian? You could rattle off a whole list of things, but there's something deeper. There's something in you that desires to be close to God.
There's something in you that desires to want to know God and you feel drawn to him. It's something the unbelieving world doesn't know. You talk to someone who claims to be a Christian.
Do you know Jesus? Oh yeah, I've read about Jesus. But do you know him? Well, what do you mean? Do you love him? That's a hard question to answer if you don't know him, if you're not saved by him. But for believers, you say to a Christian, do you love Jesus? And they'll say yes.
Or if they're in a struggling place, they'll say, I want to. But believers are those who are drawn to God. Well, how is that? The spirit's doing that work.
He says, you will know that I am in my father and you are in me. And he says, and I in you. And by the spirit, Christ is in us.
Wait a second, because now we start to get into some Trinitarian discussions here. This is high theology. This is smoke coming out of the ears now.
Who is in us? Is it the Son or is it the Spirit? The answer, technically, it is the Holy Spirit who is in you. It is the Holy Spirit. The Son is currently enthroned in heaven.
That's where he is. But mark this, the spiritual union between the second person of the Trinity, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the third person of the Trinity, the Spirit of God, is so strong that it is as if Christ himself is in us. From an eternal perspective, God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, they do not see a difference.
They know who they are. But it's as if Jesus is in you. It's the same power, the same effect.
In fact, scripture affirms this. Acts 16.7, the Holy Spirit is referred to in that instance as the Spirit of Jesus. Galatians 4.6, it's said to be the Spirit of God's Son dwelling within our hearts.
Romans 8.9, Philippians 1.19, 1 Peter 1.11, all refer to God's abiding presence within us as the Spirit of Christ. Now, the scripture is not confused. Scripture knows who the Spirit versus the Son versus the Father are.
There's no confusion. But yet we know that it's the Holy Spirit's ministry to bear witness to Jesus Christ within our own hearts. He's there to point to Jesus all the time.
John 16.14, Jesus says of the Spirit, When you hear the Holy Spirit speaking in your heart, it's as if it's the Son talking to you as well. There's no distinction in terms of the biblical truth here. It includes this promise here.
He's with you. He's with you. In fact, the assuring presence of the Spirit within believers is how Paul could say in Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Was Paul confused about Trinitarian theology? Of course not. He knew who the Spirit is.
He knew who the Son, the Father is. But he understood that in terms of the experiential Christian life, Christ is in me. Christ is in me.
And I'm in him. And so when Jesus tells the disciples, and lo, I am with you always, it is not an empty promise. It's not hyperbole.
It's not just well-wishing. In a very real, abiding, experiential, practical way, because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we can experience an intimate spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ continually. He is with you.
He is with you. And we can know day to day, minute by minute, that we are in him and he is in us. Go back to Matthew 28.
Jesus promises his constant presence with believers, but then he adds a modifier here at the end. He says, I am with you always. Here's the modifier, even to the end of the age.
Now, we know that from Jesus's parable of the weed and the tares in Matthew 13, that the end of the age refers to final judgment, at which time the Lord Jesus will return to earth and reign over his earthly kingdom. The disciples, they reflect this understanding. They understand what he's talking about because in Matthew 24, verse three, they ask him, tell us when will these things be? They're referring to the destruction of the temple.
But then they add this, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? So they understand their eschatology. They know that the end of the age is gonna be the return of Christ. But here we have Jesus referring to a key eschatological, a key end times event.
That is the time he's gonna return again. So yes, here in Matthew 28, he's about to go away. We know that he does this in Acts chapter one.
He goes away. He ascends back up into heaven bodily, but we know he's gonna come back bodily. He's going to return.
And so he's telling the disciples, from now until I return, I am with you always. This is important even for us. Well, why? Because we tend to observe these end of the world doomsday events.
Doesn't matter what the year, what the season, what the event. I mean, there were tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest even this past week. People's homes are destroyed.
We see economic destabilization. We see world wars. We see dictators.
We see famine in parts of the world. We see all kinds of stuff. Cosmic phenomenon.
We see all kinds of things all the time. And it's so easy for us, as it has been easy for every believer throughout the course of history, to become anxious and even fearful. And even believers who know the Lord, who have been saved by Christ, who have the Holy Spirit, who are destined for heaven, there is still a tendency for us to worry and say, what's gonna happen next? What's gonna happen to us? We act as though we're all alone.
And the pervasive question that nags at our consciences and nags at our minds, when we look around the world as we think this way, has God abandoned us? Has he left us? Because there are days when, in a very temporal way, it certainly feels like it. Or sometimes even in personal trial. You go through something that you've never experienced before, something that pushes you to the very brink of who you are, and you think to yourself, in those dark and fleeting moments, has God abandoned me? Has he left me? I can't find him.
Where is he? Psalm 34, 18. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit. I would even contend with you that when you're down, he is nearer to you.
He is with you. Psalm 145, 18. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
In other words, all you have to do is say, Lord, and he's there. When you need him, he's there. When you don't think that you need him in sinful arrogance, he's still there.
He's never not there. We're the ones who wander. He's abiding with us.
Heartbeat to heartbeat, every single moment that we're alive. He doesn't ever leave. He never fails us.
He never forsakes us in distress, in affliction, in turmoil, in temptation. He is with us. We're meant to know this, beloved.
One of my favorite quotes from Charles Spurgeon, I have it on my desk. He said this, As sure as God ever put his children into the furnace, he will be in the furnace with them. Referring to the time when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace and then the king looks in and sees a fourth person walking around in the furnace with them, keeping them alive and sustaining them.
Who is that? It's the Lord. You might be going through something right now that you just look up and you say, Lord, I can't do this. I'm not going to make it.
I don't even know where you are. Psalm 23, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Why, David? Why aren't you afraid of evil? Why aren't you afraid of the darkness? Why? He says to the Lord, because you are with me.
He knows that God's with him in the valley of deepest darkness. In spiritual depression, He's with you. In sickness and in pain, in loss, in abandonment, in temptation.
Lord, I've sinned again. You're just going to leave. I've out sinned the grace of God.
It's not possible if you belong to Him. In deepest darkness, you are with me. This is our constant comfort, beloved.
He's not going anywhere. He's not going to leave you. We're meant to know that because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us, Christ is with us in a very real way.
In this truth, it compels us. It doesn't just comfort us and wrap us in His blanket of sovereignty. It doesn't just do that.
It does more than that. It compels us. It spurs us on because how are you going to do anything in the Christian life? I need energy.
I need spiritual energy, Lord. I need gas in my tank. How do I get that? His abiding presence.
He's with you. When we consider His closing words in Matthew 28, we ought to consider this. Because He's always with us, we can trust Him.
He says all authority belongs to Him. He has all authority, all power, all reign, everything. The whole world belongs to Him.
And so if we know that all of the world belongs to Him, and then He has all power, all sovereignty, all lordship, then we can trust that He's able to do anything in the midst of any obstacle. Nothing you're going through is beyond His capabilities. You think your tiny little problems are going to thwart the purposes of God? Lord, I need money.
He created all things. Lord, I'm sick. He made your body.
He knows what's going on inside your cells. Lord, my heart is far from you. He can save you.
He can bring you back to Him. There is no problem that you have in this life or any time in this life that God can't meet with you there and minister to you. Nothing is beyond Him.
All authority belongs to Christ. And so we can be comforted by that. We can also be comforted by this.
Because He's always with us, we can press on into ministry. We can then go and make disciples of all nations. If God is sovereign and all authority belongs to Him, we can evangelize without fear.
We can disciple without fear. But what if I'm not adequate? What if I teach the wrong stuff? What if I don't know? Use your Bible. Use the Word of God.
Just walk through it with somebody and He's there with you. We can obey Him because He's with us. If you are in Christ, you are not alone.
You're not alone. He is with you. Well, how do I know if I'm in Christ? That's a good question, isn't it? Well, it's very simple.
Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe the good news of salvation? Do you believe that you have sinned against a holy God? That you have sinned? And people say all the time, well, nobody's perfect. That's just a very dismissive way of saying my sins aren't that bad. But the truth of the matter is, is that we have sinned against a holy God.
In word, thought, and deed. Our sins are real. But what do you do with them? That's the question.
Do you stuff them and try to mute your conscience? Do you just try to push them away from yourself? Do you ignore them? Do you try to self-atone and do good things and hope it's going to balance the scales? All those things are futile. The good news of the gospel is this, that Jesus Christ came to save you from those sins. He nailed those sins to His cross and put them to death.
He drove a stake and a nail through your sins and killed them for you and bore them on His own body on the cross. And when He died on that cross, the penalty of your sins died with Him. And then when He rose again the third day, He rose again to new life.
And you say, that's wonderful. How do I receive that new life and the payment for my sins? Repent and believe. Repent means you turn away.
You say, you know what? I hate my sins. I don't want those anymore. I confess.
Lord, forgive me from those sins. I hate them. Save me, oh Lord.
I want to do what you want me to do. It's confessing your sins to God and then believe in the promise that Jesus Christ died for you, rose for you, and reigns for you. That He is your God.
Do you believe that Jesus is your Lord and your Savior? If you do, and you're living your life in response to His amazing grace, that's one evidence that you belong to Him. Read 1 John. You want an exercise in assurance of faith? 1 John is a wonderful place to be.
Do you love Christ? Do you believe the promises of the gospel? Do you hate your sin? Do you love your brother? Do you love your neighbor? Do you want to grow in holiness? These are all evidences that you belong to Him. Well, I don't do those perfectly. None of us does.
But are they there in you? Has God produced this in you? If they're there, that's a pretty good sign that you belong to Him. But I don't want to overcomplicate it. Do you believe the gospel? That's where you start.
Let me close with one more thought here. Because we're talking about God being with us, Christ being with us. Here's the thing.
Not only, believers, is He with you. Did you know that He actually prays for you? He's not just standing next to you saying, well, good luck. He prays for you.
He intercedes for you. At the end of His high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prays for all those who come to faith through the ministry of the apostles. He prays for the disciples who are there who will be apostles.
But He also prays for all those who will come to faith. In other words, all of us. Did you know that you and I are in the Bible? John 17, we're there.
Let me read this to you. He prays this way. He's praying to the Father while He's in the garden.
I do not ask on behalf of these alone. He's talking about the disciples now. But for those also who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in Me, and I in you, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you sent Me.
The glory which you have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them, and you in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent Me and loved them, even as you have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which you have given Me, for you loved Me before the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous Father, although the world has not known you, yet I have known you, and these have known that you sent Me, and I have made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love which you have loved Me may be in them and I. He prays for you.
He prays for you. Robert Murray McShane has said, if I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies, yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.
He prays for you because you belong to Him, and He's with you. And what is the crux of that prayer for us? It is that we will know the Lord, and believe in Him completely, and experience the full measure of His love. And so, beloved, no matter what may come, remember the loving words of our Savior and our King.
Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful to You that Your abiding presence has been with us.
Lord, it is in such a small way as we have studied this Gospel, we've seen the consistency of Your Word abiding with us. But even beyond this book of the Bible or this sermon series, we are taught and instructed that You are with us. That we belong to You and You abide with us.
Lord, I want to ask You, if there are any here who don't know You, who are hearing all of these promises and all of this encouragement and comfort for the body of Christ, and they say, that's not me. I don't belong in those promises. I don't know You.
Lord, I pray that that person who is suffering under condemnation right now for their sins would have the lights of their heart turned on. That they would see and hear Your voice speaking to them. That they would turn away from their sins and confess every one of them to You and find new life in Jesus Christ.
That they would look on the crucified Christ and cry out in thanksgiving for paying for their sins. They would look on the empty tomb and rejoice that they have new life in Christ. Lord, would You save and redeem the lost even today.
Lord, our hearts are bound to You. Not because we possess the ability to cling to You, but because You have all power and all authority and all ability to hold us in the palm of Your hand. And nobody can pluck us out.
And so Lord, I just thank You for how You have demonstrated faithfulness to this church, to us as believers. You have walked with us week after week, year after year. And we know that You will walk with us every moment of every day until we see Your beautiful face.
Keep us in Your love, O Lord. Keep us trusting in Your promises. We thank You for Your abiding presence with us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.