The world celebrates death. It does not like the Truth. Learn to love the Truth. We do not know just how great the Light is that He puts in us. We cannot tell what He says. The real world is not all there is. Truth shall triumph. None can take this joy from us. (Revelation 11:9-10; John 16:13-22)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon # 11666
11:00 AM on 4/21/2019

P. Schaller

Before you sit down say, He is risen! Christ is risen! Turn to your neighbor and say, Christ is risen! Praise the Lord! Thank you, God. He is risen! He is risen! The tomb is empty! The tomb is empty! Praise the Lord! The tomb is empty. Alright. Alright, ready? Here we go.

Mt. 27 – look up on the screen. This is before you are seated, okay? Before you are seated, turn to Mt. 27 and listen to this. What did Pilate, when he heard that this deceiver, he said in three days he would rise. What did Pilate say?

vs. 65 Pilate said, you have a watch, go your way; make it as sure as you can. Pilate said when he heard his body could be stolen that something could happen. That the disciples could take the body and then we have a bigger problem. So Pilate said, you have your guards. I will send you Roman guards. You have your watch. Go your way. Make it as sure as you can. This is important. Make it as sure as you can. Can you say that phrase with me? Make it as sure as you can. Say it dramatically. Make it as sure as you can. Use the guttural sound on your throat. Seal it and make sure nothing like that happens. Make it as sure as you can. Alright.

2 Cor. 13:8 You can do nothing against the truth. Say that. You can do nothing against the truth. Is it true? You can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. Make it as sure as you can. Pilate, you cannot do anything against the truth. The truth is, He is the resurrection. And go ahead, make it as sure as you can but you’re not going to win. It’s not going to work. Put duct tape around that tomb. You know the old duct tape. How many of you are duct tape people? I go to Home Depot weekly to buy rolls of duct tape! Listen, put the duct tape on it. Lie about it. Do everything that you can. You can do nothing against the truth. The truth is coming. The truth is coming.

Winston Churchill said, “A lie goes around the world while the truth is putting its boots on.” But it is coming. I hear the footsteps. Lie about it but you can’t stop it.

Alright, turn to your neighbor and say, it’s coming. Truth is marching on. The truth is marching on. It’s coming at you. It’s coming at you. Listen, here’s sad news. In Sri Lanka today, Easter, in Sri Lanka, some terrorism, and they murdered by their terrorism as many as 200 Christians worshipping in different churches in Sri Lanka. One part of me is woe! That is so sad. Worshippers of Christ murdered and their blood on the street or on the church floor. But then I thought, wouldn’t it be great to go to heaven on Easter? The enemy rejoicing, we killed them, and God saying, not really! Not really! You can make it as sure as you can but you can’t win against God. God is victorious and he’s victorious for you. Halleluiah! Praise the Lord! Halleluiah! It is Easter. It is Easter time. Halleluiah!

So in finishing here, give your neighbor a high five and say, you’re looking good today. God bless you. And you may be seated. Many of you know my mom moved down here. My sisters, Cynthia and Phil, and my mom moved down here. She’s 97 years old and she’s with us this morning sitting right here in the front row. I just say love you mom. You’re awesome. She’s amazing. She always told me, Peter, – that was my name in our family. Because I was such a bad guy, they renamed me! Peter, you can do nothing against the truth. It will find you out. Oh, okay! So my mom. Give her a hand. Praise the Lord! Love you, mom! Halleluiah! Awesome! Thank you, Lord.

Here is a principle. We’re going to turn to Jn. 16. We’ll look at that and this will be good. This will be good. Amen. We pray for the Spirit to minister to us and speak to our hearts. Resurrection has changed everything. It has. It’s a game changer. The ultimate game changer. It is. It is. It is. Yeah, it is. I was in a dark room. I was in a dark room by myself and I lit a candle. And that was great. I lit a candle. Then the sun came up. The sun came up. Now its noon day. Do I need that candle? I don’t need it. The sun came up. It’s a game changer. The whole thing is different now. How about at noon time you come running out in the parking lot at noon time. I got a flashlight! Here, I got a flashlight. The guy will look at you and think are you on drugs or something? What are you talking about? The sun is high in the sky lighting up everything. It’s different. Cause one truth the candle in the darkness is true but there is something greater.

I drew a little picture about this because I think in pictures and words. This is like a proverb. A proverb really has two parts to it. The earthly part, I’ll put like this. The earthly and the natural. A proverb, a lesson, a truth. When you think about a proverb, you think about it, 2 Tim. 2:7 Paul said consider these things and the Lord will give you understanding. This is important. That we often learn about these elements of life.

This is elements in the N. T. in Gal 4 and Col. 2, we have what is called elements. There is a Greek word for it. The very fundamental things. The simple things that make up life. Like a candle in a dark room. Like a match. And many times people are dealing with these (striking a match). What does that mean? Like striking a match. We’re looking for something. We need it. But when Christ is raised from the dead, this is totally now. This is so deep, so profound. It’s so incredible and when we consider it, we are actually going into a realm that to be honest there are many people that are not believing there is anything more than a match and a candle. They don’t believe there is anything more than a loaf of bread and a glass of water. Or a paycheck, a child, or going to Walmart for two hours. That’s life. Like a vacation for a week. The sun shining. Sorrow in the emergency room in the hospital. They say this is life. This is reality. This is all there is. This is the way life is. This is all there is. So I want to read a couple things here. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. Remember, she was the one that had seven demon spirits in her. She was a prostitute. He met her and her life changed. He appeared to the women returning from the tomb. He appeared to Peter later in the day of his resurrection. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He appeared to the apostles that day. Thomas wasn’t there. A week later, he appeared to them again. Thomas was there. He appeared to the seven at the lake of Tiberius at the Sea of Galilee. Remember, they went back fishing.

He appeared to the 500 in the Galilean mountain in 1 Cor. 15:6. He appeared to James. He appeared to the eleven. He appeared at the ascension. He appeared to Paul and to Stephen, to Paul in the temple, and to John on the island of Patmos. In our diagram, he is drawing people to understand that this life is more than what we see. It’s more than our pain, our worries, and our troubles that are very real. It’s so real that we just live this.

But consider what I say Jesus is saying at the Last Supper in Jn. 16 which is where we will start reading. I think, I’m very much wanting you to recognize a verse so it just takes me a minute or two.

I want to show you something in Rev. 11. This is in the future. There will be two prophets. Rev. 11:9-10.

The play was excellent this past week. How many came to the play? Wasn’t it amazing? The acting, the singing, the message was very good. David Castro is over here. He did a great job as Pontius Pilate. And Rachael Palmieri. Wow! Lana, Heidi Anderson. Awesome. The whole group, young people. A lot of young people in the play. It was excellent.

This is an important sub note, 11:9. This is in Jerusalem. We’ll not go into the detail. This is not our subject. I want you to notice something. This is in the future. It will be on CNN and Fox News and everywhere in the world will see two men dead on the street in Jerusalem.

vs. 10. Now when these two men, these prophets, who are messengers of God are killed, martyred, their dead bodies are in the street, the world will have a party. They actually will celebrate. I think in Sri Lanka this morning, I’m sorry to say, there is some celebration for the murder and death of Christians. This happens. When the CIA found tapes of Osama Ben Laden and their meetings and hearing about the towers in N.Y going down to the ground, they were rejoicing. They were amazed their terrorist attack was so effective. There is evil that rejoices.

vs. 10. Send gifts one to another. That’s like Christmas time. I give my gifts to my friends and there’s a party because these men irritated us. These men bothered us. These men were speaking – these are my words – they’re speaking the truth and we don’t like that. We don’t like it. You irritate us. You bother us.

Look at the next portion, vs. 10. How did they torment them? The same way Jesus did. Jesus was a problem. He irritated them. He bothered them. The truth does that. By the way, if you and I have the Spirit of God in us and we are living in this world, we are not on purpose irritating or bothering or difficult to be with, but the truth is in us. And we have to say what it is that we think and believe. We can be quiet but eventually it does come out of us that we are of another spirit. That we are of another kingdom that God sent us into this world. Jesus was sent.

So this is a good preface for our text in Jn 16. Turn there with me. By the way, these two prophets were raised from the dead and the whole world saw that, too. You know that part?

Rev. 11:11-12. Truth. Truth is where you want to land as a person. Find it. Know it. Embrace it. Love it. Learn to love it. Learn to love it. That’s a good word. You don’t like it. Learn to be humble before God and the Spirit will lead you and teach you. You’ll learn to love the truth. Get on the right side of things. Amen.

Say that to your neighbor. Get on the right side of things. Knock it off. Get on the right side of issues. I honestly believe I could lead you in preaching a message to your neighbor. I don’t have to do much because of what is in you. What is in your heart?

Go to Jn. 16 and I want you to start from verse. 13. This goes pretty good, at least 10 verses we will read.

Jn 16:13-22. The Last Supper. This is big. Our rabbi is going to be murdered. He’s going to be tortured. Our rabbi is going to be hung on a cross. Our rabbi is the Messiah. The city is not receiving him. The authorities are not receiving him. He’s going to be crucified. He’s not the Messiah that we thought. That’s a good point too, isn’t it? He’s not the Messiah. The Messiah I thought he was but actually I find Messiah is this. This is the Messiah. He has shown me to this. This is meaning the spiritual understanding.

I actually believe children in Psalm 8 can be more receptive to God’s Spirit than adults. I believe children are more in tune, more sensitive to, – they can be. They can also be very demonic as well. We read it in the gospels and we experience it in our families! But they can believe in God. They can believe in angels. They can believe this is God’s word. They can worship God. When the sun comes us, woo! When they see a palm tree or a fish, woo! As adults, we more shift to what we would call the real world. And maybe crucify Christ. Because of politics or advantage or because I don’t believe.

But the Spirit will come and show you all things, vs. 13-14. He will show us what is Christ’s. Christ’s kingdom. He will show us the kingdom. He will show us more than what we naturally think. What we naturally think may be true what we are thinking, but there is more to what I am thinking. Mathematics, 2 X 2 is 4 is great but even if you are a bad mathematician, 2 X 2 is still 4.

I was thinking yesterday, mathematics was not my favorite subject in school, except geometry was. I liked that. But the others. I remember doing problems and as I was doing them, there’s the right answer. As I was doing it, there’s the right answer. Then my teacher would show me it’s the wrong answer. I would say that’s so funny. A few minutes ago, I was convinced it was the right answer and now you are showing me it’s the wrong answer. You mean I can be wrong?

As I’m doing it, I believe it is right. As I do it, I believe it is right and someone else comes and shows me it is wrong. This is important in life. This is important in life. It is ridiculous for us to be so confident, for us to be so confident about things we know so little about. It is ridiculous to believe that. I don’t believe any of that. Well I was like that too in math class. I believed I was right when I was wrong. The Spirit will show us. The Holy Spirit will teach us.

vs. 15. Meaning the Father will show us what belongs to Christ. It’s almost like in a marriage. When you get married, you may not know that your husband – let’s say that he owns two pieces of land in Texas. He owns a house in Florida. He hasn’t told you much about himself. You get married to him and now he is going to show you want is his. Christ has received a kingdom. Christ is the Son of God. Christ has promised us forgiveness. Our name in the book of life. The Holy Spirit will teach us what is his and therefore what is ours. What is ours? If you think only this way, you might just say things like the Ten Commandments are mine. I go to church. I say prayers and that’s mine. But this is so much like a candle compared to the sun coming up and showing us what is ours. He’s trying to tell the disciples it’s going to be hard the next few days. It’s going to be a hard time for you in the next few days but joy is coming because I will show you something that you’ve never seen before. I will show you. The next few days is going to be hard. Your world is small. You got a little candle in a dark room and you think that’s the reality. But I have news for you. You cannot even imagine what I have prepared for you. You do not realize yet what it is that you are part of. That’s fun. It’s like, me? You know. It’s like, me? It’s like the surprise winner at a beauty contest. There’s a woman there at the beauty contest and someone registers her. She’s sitting in the back row and they call her name. And she’s like, you’re kidding me? You’re kidding me? Go to the next verse.

vs. 16. A little while. This becomes a subject in the talk. A little while? What does it mean? A little while? Shortly. A little while. Is it kind of abstract? Five minutes? Three days? Three days you will not see me. In our history where was Jesus yesterday, Saturday? In the grave. He was in the tomb. Did they see him? No. How about when He was crucified and they ran away. Did they see him? No, they didn’t see him for a little while. I would say three days they didn’t see him.

vs. 16-17. They didn’t get it, did they? They didn’t know. This is like a proverb in a way. What does he mean? I don’t understand what he means? Because when we are in this world on this side of things, we don’t understand. Like the brothers and sisters and we can pray for their families, that went to be with the Lord today in Sri Lanka. We don’t understand. They have been murdered for their faith. Attacked. Innocent people killed. Yes. That’s what happened. Christ is saying, I’m going to tell you. You will see me in a little while. I will appear to you. You will see me. And the Holy Spirit will teach you. You’ll not be frozen in your small world of pain and worry and fear. I will show you. He explains it.

Go to verse 18. We cannot tell what he says. It’s so loaded, isn’t it? We cannot tell what he says. Lord, it’s true. We have some unbelief in us. We have some kind of world where it’s like us, what we call the real world. But I don’t believe the real world is the whole real world, and I cannot understand what you are saying. Then he says this. He’s so amazing.

vs. 19. Are you guys talking about that? Are you guys thinking about that? I want to give you a little help. I want to get you over the hill a little bit. I want you to get this because this will be happening to you again and again. And sisters and brothers, it happens to us again and again. We’re kind of stuck on that side. I would like the Spirit to help me understand. This is why we assemble. This is why the book is open and we read from it. This is why we live in faith. We love to hear about our brothers and sisters that have more to say to us than just that side of the story. We like to say, did God heal you? Yes, he healed me. Did God answer a prayer? Yes, he did. Were you addicted to drugs? Yes, I was. But I got to tell you more. It’s true. He is risen and he took it away. My fingers used to be yellow from the tobacco, but it’s like I can’t stand the smell of it anymore. I don’t understand what happened to me, but he took it away. He is risen. I don’t know that there is any magic in it. There’s no magic in it. It’s just the whole reality. Reality is God, and God is in our world. Reality is a living God, the living Christ and he walks amongst us. Reality is freedom from fear of death and trouble. We have it but it’s not the whole picture. We have it but it’s not the whole picture. Read it with me.

vs. 20. Why? Because his bleeding body hanging on the cross means his ministry is over. His life has ended like everybody’s and we are in stress and trouble and we weep. Because we loved him. Nobody was like him. Nobody touched my life like him. Nobody spoke like him. Nobody was like him. We weep and the world rejoices.

Look at that part. It says in vs. 20, “but the world shall rejoice.” The world rejoices. Be careful what group of people you are with. You’ll be rejoicing with a group of people that have another spirit. Be careful what you are rejoicing about because it can be the antichrist spirit, the spirit of the world. Hey, you might say what do you mean pastor? I say, listen. Have you ever seen those video clips of Adolf Hitler? 1933, ’36, ’38. You know those video clips with Germany and the leaders and the Nazi party? Huh? What do you think? It was party time. They had power. Everything turned around. Things changed. Murder. They murdered people. Hitler murdered 106 people in one night. Anybody that – he had a list of names. People that he saw that could take him out. People that he saw and understood. In one night. It’s called the Night of the Long Knives. Murderous people, wicked people rejoicing in iniquity. Rejoicing in their murder and arrogance and their spirit which was antichrist. It repeats itself. Come on. It repeats itself. That’s repeated. We are weeping for Jesus. He’s done nothing wrong. He’s an innocent man. We saw it in the play. Innocent man. Have nothing to do with that innocent man. Later in the future, there will be two men of God in Jerusalem and they will be murdered and on the street they will have a party. They are gone. Those people who are homophobic and phobia this, and all those narrow, legalistic, religious people. Aah! Those two men were murdered and the world is party time. I’m sorrow to be, I’m very dramatic about it but you follow it with me. I am saddened. I am saddened. Where were the churches in Germany when the country was anti-Semitic? Where were the Christians – and they existed by the way and there are writings about it. I’ll give you two references. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one and then Hitler’s Cross by Erwin Lutzer is another one if you want to read a good book. Erwin Lutzer’s book called Hitler’s Cross. Where were the churches? Which side of the picture that we must be on in this world that we live in. Here it is. We will weep. The world shall rejoice and all of you shall be sorrowful.

Then it goes this way. Jesus says this, vs. 21. But your sorrow shall be turned into joy is the end of vs. 20. One woman told me that having the baby was hard, but when the baby was born, the doctor threw the baby on her chest. And this living little person, slimy and wet and moving and crying and the mother is filled with joy. Amazing. Jesus uses this at the Last Supper to comfort them. It will be the worst – these are my words – worst three days in your life. But the truth is coming. The Truth is here. Truth. You can kill me, but I’m coming back. I am here. I am the resurrection and the life. Pilate said, make it as sure as you can. It says an earthquake happened. An angel from heaven came and moved the stone and sat on the stone. And the angel is sitting on the stone. I like to think – these are my words – the angel is saying, Go tell Pilate. He did his best. The duct tape can’t hold. The guards can’t do it. You can’t do it, and Rome can’t do it and New York can’t do it. And there is nobody and no state and no country and no -ism and no religion that can stop what God has done through his Son. It says here, “now therefore you have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man takes from you.” Let’s finish with that. I will see you again. I will come to you. These are my words. I will come to you, Peter. I will come to you, eleven. I will come to you, Thomas. I will see you again. I will keep my flock. I will care for the weakest. I will go to those that deny me. I’ll go to you wherever you are. You cannot stop me. I’m a good pastor. I’m a good shepherd. Christ is saying, I am the way, the truth and the life. I will keep all that the Father has given me. I have lost none, saving that one that was ordained of God in his perfect plan and wisdom. But I have not lost any.

Let’s say that this morning regarding each other. You are secure in him. You are saved by his grace. God is your Father. God is on your side. God cares about you. Yes, we have like in the equation we do have the blood and the sadness and the sorrow and the pain. But be careful. Don’t limit yourself to your understanding. You can be wrong. But grow in grace and knowledge. Have the fuller scope. The Spirit of God is your teacher. Be subject to the doctrine that will teach you and lead you and guide you because He says, I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice.

And this part, your joy no man – it’s like, ha ha ha. Stop that! Stop that! I can’t. I can’t. Hey, don’t you know. Don’t you understand? You had a baby and isn’t that very painful? It’s like, ha ha, I don’t know what you are talking about. The sun came up. I don’t need the candle. The candle, that’s part of it. I’m not denying it but I got something greater than a candle. I got the morning. I got the noon sunshine. I got the living Christ. I got the living God who is on my side. I got a Father in heaven that cares about me and so loved me that he gave me his Son.

Now let me finish. I grew up in my education with a major in science, biology and chemistry. In a limited way I went to college for it and so on. I was trained that way. I was an unbeliever. I was a skeptic. When I accepted Christ one day, it started to turn in me. Maybe I don’t know. Maybe this isn’t the whole picture. Maybe there is more that I cannot see. I started to wake up and realize and became a student of this book. I do not deny the world of science but I know that all science is not science. I do not deny the reality of pain. I know what that is. But I also know there is a resurrection that is undeniable, and there is joy that no man can take from you. There is a spirit and a way of life that is greater than the natural man.

Do not live just as a natural man. Learn to control your appetites. Learn to deny your desires. You will find more of God. Learn to be submitted unto truth. You will find more of God. Learn to be subject to the authority of God and the ministry of God and you will find new authority. God’s way, for God’s ways are not man’s ways. Come to church. Read your Bible. Live a disciplined life. Learn to live by faith and be a follower of Christ and Christ’s people. God has something for you, more than just yourself. He’s got his kingdom, and that’s what he said to them. Amen.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.