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John Fortune, verse 13 Whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do. Father may be glorified in the Son. Do you ask anything in my name? I will do it.
Me keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him, but you know Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come get a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But you see me because I live.
Also at that day he shall know that I am in my father, and ye, and me, and I, and you. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not the scariest Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him.
And we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings.
And the world which is the world which he hear, is not mine, but the Father which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I've said unto you.
Peace I live, leave with you I give unto peace I give unto you.
Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Give heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I've told you before, come to pass, that when it has come to pass, you might believe.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me.
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment.
Even so, I do arise. Let us go. Hence help me greatly to understand the.
Subject of prayer, a remark that I read, Mr. Darby, he said.
Prayer is based on the privilege of having common interests with God, and I think that's very important in connection with prayer, that God brings our souls into communion with Himself so that we want the very things that are His desire and that are His mind for us.
I often say, we understand that in natural things, you want to give somebody a gift and you think of something they would enjoy. And then after a few days they come to you and say, if you ever want to do something for me, this is what I'd like. They ask for the very thing that you had already.
In your mind to give to them, and you feel very, very happy. You're now in common thoughts and you have great joy. The person who asked is so pleased that that was the thing that you already had saw that you plan to give to them. It isn't a marvelous thing rather than that you and I, as we've had this subject of fellowship before us, can have those common interests with God. But this is only the result of communion. So if we're out of communion.
We don't ask the things that are really for His glory, His mind and will, and properly speaking, how could they be in His name if they're not according to His will? I wouldn't want somebody to use my name for something that was contrary to what I would desire and saw the thought of in my name.
Is a similar thought to be according to thy will through minds?
And there we have the word of God forming our thoughts. That has been expressed a common thought with God, and God is faithful and cannot deny himself. So we have power in prayer when we ask in communion with the mind of God the word of God forming our thoughts.
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Abraham had the same mind. God and God had the same kind of saved I have no child. God was thinking about the time when heaven would be filled with children and Abraham was thinking about having a son complete all those promises that God had given him. They had kindred thought the same time he added into God's thoughts.
And God was in that position where he fully understood what.
Abraham was thinking. But Abraham was the kind of a man, you know, that lived alone.
Separate from Sodom and separate from the cities about He lived in the country, and that's what we get in the Song of Solomon, too. That is, the bride was very much out of place when she got into the city. That's where the troubles began.
But the one who lives alone with God in separation from the world, He might be in the very midst of the world, but he lives alone with God in spite of it.
Because he's given grace to go through it and that's what you're going to. You'll find, I suppose here and civilization, which were found that.
The righteous soul is is aggrieved continually is what we have about us, but we're able to walk with God because we can not only speak our mind to Him.
So he will answer and meet us in our needs, but also he reveals his mind to us at the same time. And I'm sure that if there is the practice, and I speak for young people, especially if there is the practice of when you get home from school, just drop your needs for a moment. The rest of the day will be a lot brighter.
And sometimes when you get home from school, you'll find there's a lot of burdens.
Troubles, things you don't understand that's been going on during the day will, will all pass through your mind. You'll be happy and the enjoyment of the things of Christ even though you're playing football, whatever you're doing. And so there's such a thing as communion no matter what you're doing, communion with the Lord. I think it was remarked Saturday that.
We have a preparation for the church in John's Gospel.
And I believe it's so. If we look at the 16th chapter, in the 23rd, 24th verses, we have related verses about prayer. We see how they fit to the disciples the Lord was talking to. Now they continue to fit during this whole age in which we live.
In that day he shall ask me nothing.
They had been asking from the Lord as they walked with Him those 3 1/2 years of His ministry and anything they needed. He was going away. This is a new day, and that day He shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name.
Ask He shall receive that your joy.
May be full and now that fit the disciples perfectly.
To supply for them, giving them a resource to pray to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it fits us all through this age. It was a new thing that was just beginning. He was going up to be intercessor as we heard.
In the address yesterday too, so he is there now.
And the disciples could ask as soon as he went up and.
I like to add what James tells us according to his will.
Where I don't always have confidence for myself that I have the will of God.
And it protects one. You think of the children of Israel. They got hungry for flesh. They loathe the mana.
That bread from heaven. And they asked, and God gave it to them.
But he sent leanness into their soul. They made a mistake, and I might make a mistake, but I should be in communion and know the will of God. But I think it's good to add the other according to thy will. Yes, I believe it's very important.
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The Lord can give us a peace in our souls that we have asked according to His will.
But I believe that we have to be humble. And if we start telling other people what we're really saying is.
We're so sure that we're in communion with the Lord that we couldn't miss His mind. That would be spiritual pride.
We should never ask for anything that's contrary to his word. But when we ask for something that we don't have specific direction in the word of God, then we should always say, if it's thy will, he can give us a piece about it that he's going to come in. But to tell others is a boast. And so Paul says in in First Corinthians 4.
In the fourth verse, for I know nothing by myself.
Yet am I not hereby justified? But he that judgeth May is the Lord. So that Paul sought to maintain a good conscience between himself and God, but he didn't go around boasting to other people because the Lord might see something in him that he didn't see himself. That was what Eli who said to Job. And I'm sure it's often true of myself. The Lord sees motives and things.
In our hearts that we're not fully aware of, and that's why we should ask according to His will. But I do believe on the other hand, that He can give us a piece about these things.
But that verse comes in. In that case, hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God?
We should never boast of our spirituality or how near we walk to the Lord. That's a secret between the soul and the Lord. There can be peace about it.
Such a thing is praying the Lord of the harvest, that is, the missionary, or the one who is giving out the gospel. He prays directly to the Lord of the harvest, Lord himself.
Because the word, the Lord's work that he's in, and it's a direct communication with the Lord as to the work he's in order.
Follow them here. 15th verse. If you love me, keep my commandments so we don't.
Do work. We don't do things in order to, to, to gain anything. We do things because we love Him. The new order is worked by love and by we love him, we trust him, we have faith in Him.
Escalation.
Says by love serve one another too. Very important to have that Moody, that heartfelt desire for others and love for God.
There isn't much in it. I would like to ask a question that has been a real burden on my own part and a test in many ways, and probably some others have had the same difficulty when we have asked what we sincerely believe and even know from the Word of God to be His will.
And we see little response in terms of blessing for cold possibly. How do we cope with asking what still so evidently according to God's will, and see apparently no answer for how do we handle that in our own soul?
You base that on God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Yeah, we ask for blessing for our children for instance, or for someones salvation as we prayed this morning for Mr. Razor. How do we cope with the fact that we go on for days and days and see no apparent answer?
We can do it because of our 30 four days.
An old brother, Morris Smith. I'll mention him because his grandfather took Alan Morris here. He used to tell us God has three answers for prayer. Yes, no, and wait a while. Sometimes we don't catch on to the answer right away.
Isn't necessarily that the prayer be answered as we desire it because the person.
May be in this affliction for a very definite reason, for their own soul, and for the soul of the Saints as well.
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And it wouldn't do for that person to be healed at that moment.
There's an interesting verse.
In Zechariah chapter 10.
I'd like to read.
Zechariah, Chapter 10.
Verse one.
Zechariah 10/1.
Ask ye of the Lord.
Reign in the time of the latter rain.
So the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain.
To everyone grass in the field.
The Lord supposes that we have some intelligence as to His ways and His purposes.
And so it says, ask your reign in the time of the latter rain, and if we were more in tune with God's purposes and plans.
And his precious word, then we would ask for the rain at the proper time that scripture replies that believe does not brother to the time when the two tribes will come back.
And the Lords feet was monobolic. And he will restore to them again their blessing. So they're asking in something they know is coming. They know that He had come to bring you there first in the latter rain again to them.
So they asked for it, but I think it's nice to see that that.
We can say, oh, the Lord is going to bring my blessing to my house because I belong to him, but no, we're to ask.
As you pointed out, we should ask as well.
Because that brings in communion.
Worn out.
Thanks chapter chapter 15 and verse 7.
Really.
It's very challenging. It says if ye abide in me and my words abide in you.
You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
And so really, that's the highest calling of all, isn't it, that we abide in Him, and His word abides in us. Now we are intelligent as to what His will is, and so we ask according to His will.
Connection with our brother's question. I think we have to take in the whole revealed mind of God.
It does say the will of all men to be saved. That's God's desire and will. But the Lord Jesus also said straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Why does the gate that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in there at so we find that.
As far as God's desire is, it's for the blessing of all. As far if we could speak in this way, As for the.
Blessing of His people is that we should all walk in the truth, that we should be fully yielded to the Lord. But there are also verses that show us that there are those who will not walk in that. And that's where intelligence in the mind of God comes in. And I believe in asking the Lord, we cast ourselves upon His grace. If it's a question of the household, we know that.
God's desire is the blessing for not only every Christian household, but for all mankind.
But I believe we have to cast ourselves upon God's grace because we know from the record given to us in the Word of God.
That there were some that didn't walk in the ways of their parents, even although their parents were devoted people.
And we cast ourselves on the grace of God to come in, not because we've been good parents, not because we deserved it, but we just.
Count upon His grace to come into His according to His perfect wisdom and love. So I think we need not just one scripture. We know that often scriptures such as responsibility are taken out of and taken to prove that sovereignty isn't in the Word of God. But those verses that are very clear about sovereignty do not in any way change the verses that speak of responsibility.
So no scripture is of any private interpretation.
Does not mean that I don't have a right to a private interpretation about a verse. That's not the thought in it. But no Scripture is isolated from the rest of Scripture. It's all one harmonious and complete whole, and we need to take it all together. Well, I believe that's very important for us. There's so much error in Christendom by not rightly dividing the word of truth, taking some verse out of its context, or building on.
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Verse and leaving out another that has a bearing on the same subject and I believe that that comes in in intelligence and understanding the word of God and then in being near the Lord laying hold of his will and that's why I believe hastile faith have it to thyself before God. None of us want to bolst down here we are to the Lord, but if we are near him he does make his mind and will known to us like.
To Abraham and not to Lot. I know Abraham that he'll command his household after him.
And shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I purpose to do? So both were believers, both will be in heaven, but one walk nearer to the Lord than the other.
And entered into his mind in a much fuller way.
There was a.
Person that was praying for their child to be saved.
And.
He complained that the Lord didn't answer the prayer, so the.
Why? His brother said.
Are you praying that it's the Lord's will, or it's because you want your child saved to maintain a reputation for the family?
And she got the point, and she asked the Lord to pray, to deal with according to his will in your child to save.
So sometimes we're hindering our own prayers in this next verse we have.
Verse 16 The Lord is praying.
Or will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter.
I take that to be the Holy Spirit.
The Christ, the first Comforter, himself, and He that he may abide with you forever.
This is one of the points of security for the believer, even the spirit of truth.
Now this expression, spirit of truth, occurs three times in John and John's Gospel as the person.
Of the Spirit himself it occurs once in the Epistle. But as to the truth itself more than the person, so it says here.
Even the spirit of truth from the world cannot see.
Receive, because it's It seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
This is the spirit of truth. Now turn to the end of the next chapter. It says in the verse 26, But when the comforters come, whom I will send unto you, what did we have before?
Praise the Father that he might send, but now we find the Lord Jesus.
I will send unto you from the Father even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father. He shall testify of me. Now the 13th verse of the.
16th chapter.
I'll be it when He, the Spirit of truth is come, and as He comes on His own, He will guide you into all truth, but He shall not speak of Himself.
That is from himself. He's always under the direction.
Of God.
But he shall not not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.
He will show you things to come. Now we have the spirit of truth mentioned in three ways here. First, the.
Father sends him because they'll be left as orphans the next time.
The Lord Himself, who is Lord over all, Pardon me, He sends the Spirit.
And finally the Spirit comes on his own. We see the the activity of the whole Godhead.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In connection with the blessing for the people of God.
Now this is true in everything that happens for the people of God, the whole Trinity is involved. You get that largely in John's Gospel too, that the the whole Trinity is involved in the blessing of the Saints of God.
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One of the great comforts, I think, is these words. He shall abide with you forever. You know, the first time we get the Holy Spirit is when we believe to the Ephesians, who are Gentiles, it says, in whom after that he believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. And we'll always have the Holy Spirit. We have him now.
He stays here until we go, and he goes with us.
So much so that in the end of the book when it's the thought of the Lord's coming, it says the Spirit and the Bride say, come, He is down here. He abides with us forever. When we leave, He leaves. He goes with us. He understands from.
Pressure in the end of 17 For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. A distinction between the character of the Spirit as to Old Testament Saints and the character that he takes with New Testament things. Well, there's a new order of things now, and it's it's, it's applied to the future here, is it not? That's when the Spirit comes.
Today we can say he's here, but at the time of this writing.
Spirit of God had not come in the sense that He speaks of it. That was on the day of Pentecost.
Is that your thought?
I was wondering if the Spirit of God dwelling with you might have been the character of coming upon Saul, as it were, so that he would be among the prophets, and then departing in a sovereign way after a specific work had been completed, and then shall be in you as a coming to indwell as a result of the redemption accomplished in Christ glorified.
I was really asking if there these this expression should give us.
The difference between the two operations, to me it's 12 and with you or among you is the collective sense that we have now. It's dwelling. He dwells in the house.
Now something it wasn't in the Old Testament, so I say this applies now in my thought.
And in you applies now as individual, whereas when the Spirit of God came.
In the manifestations in the Old Testament, it was only a visit, it wasn't a dwelling.
He just came and visited. The 63rd of Isaiah will tell a little bit about the Spirit of God looking down and coming to visit. As a beast goes down in the valley, so the Spirit of God came down. Of course, it was true that when the Lord Jesus was with them, the Spirit of God was dwelling with them in that sense, because every action in the pathway of the blessed Lord Jesus.
Was always by the power of the Spirit of God.
So I, by the Spirit of God, cast out devils. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and saw that there was one with them, whose every action was a perfect display of one.
Led and guided in everything by the Spirit of God, because He was the Son.
In this world the Father had sent him, and He was here manifesting by the Spirit.
All that the father is, I thought of it in connection with that. They had experienced this, they had seen one.
Who worked perfectly, did everything by the Spirit of God, but the marvel was that when he went away.
He was going to send a comforter, that is another comforter, because while he was with them, he was their comforter, and John the Baptist was slain. Why? They went and told Jesus and he was there meeting every need for them. But he was going to be taken away and another comforter would come, very one who was the life and energy of everything in His blessed pathway was now going to come and indwell them.
Shall I say of like the Samaritan, he took up the man and put him on his own beast.
Had a very power that led the Lord Jesus through this world is now the very power that he indwells us the Spirit of God. So it tells us in John's epistle. He that saith he abideth in him on himself also. So to walk even as he walked God is no different standard for us as believers as adding for his own blessed son and in first Timothy chapter 3.
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He says the secret of godliness.
Is the pathway of the Lord Jesus is not the secret of God, brethren, it's the secret of godliness. Do we want to know what a path that is perfectly pleasing to God is? We see the pathway of the Lord Jesus, whose every thought, whose every action, cone of his voice, everything was always by the Spirit of God and how wonderful it was for these disciples to think that this one whom they had seen and been with.
Now he was going away and that he was going to send that power.
The Holy Spirit of God to be in them so that they could walk here. As He walked, they would no longer be orphans in this world. He was with them now. He was going away, but the Spirit of God would come so they wouldn't be orphans. They would have that comfort, that support, that health.
For the pathway, but in that 19 first says because I live, you shall live also.
He was going away, but he was comforting their hearts. The fact that because he lives, he was going through death. That's true, but it's because he lives.
They would live so that our life not only is Christ, but our life is in Christ, and it's because He lives as a man that we live in verse 18.
In verse 18 the Lord Jesus said, I will come to you.
Now does that mean that?
He would see them again after his resurrection.
Or does that mean he would come to them by the Spirit? I'd like to have a clarification.
Of what is meant by verse 18, I really believe it is coming by the Spirit because of the 20th verse.
At that day he shall know that I am in my Father, and ye, and me and I and you. They only partially laid hold of what He was saying. He said that He had many things to tell them, that they couldn't bear them, but when the spirit of truth was come, He would lead them into all truth.
And so he would come, and he has come by the Spirit of God. Christ in you the hope of glory.
But he dwells in us by the Spirit, doesn't He? And so I believe that's the what is referred to there is of course what we have in the first part of the chapter is bodily coming again to receive us to the Father's house. But.
In that spiritual sense we can enjoy it now. We enjoy His presence in the midst by the Spirit as we gather around Him.
These are all blessed things associated with Christianity. I believe and elect be diverse in Acts 2 to have a statement about the Spirit of God coming because it's so definite on what we've been speaking about in the second of Acts.
And the 32nd verse. This Jesus hath God raised up, where we are all our witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he Jesus has shed forth this which he now see and hear. So he did.
Send.
The Spirit of God after he was exultant and he came and he is here, but it's the glorified Christ now. It is so that because He's glorified and received the Spirit in that way from the Father of those now who believe on Him have the Spirit that is glorified Saints.
Whatever he has, whatever he is, might say.
As man belongs to the believer, he's there for us.
He became man for us, and so he is.
He's there and we are in a new position. There are now not just as men that are saved, but.
Really. In God's counsels already.
We're glorified.
What is meant the verse 19?
But you see me read the whole verse yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But you see me. What does he mean when he says, But ye see me? Well, I believe it's really by faith that we see him. We speak often about seeing Him in the mids. Hebrews chapter 2 Says, But we see Jesus, who has made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
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Crowned with glory and honor, and so.
Sees Him, sees Him exalted there, sees him in our midst. Not like the world. As far as the world was concerned, there was a man here in this world. He was the Son of God. They saw him. They crucified him. Far as they're concerned, they don't see him anymore. But we see him. We see him by faith. We see him there at the right hand of God. We see him by faith in our midst.
We're very conscious of him and of his presence.
And as you go on here, I think this is confirmed by verses 21, two and three.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, He it is that loveth me, neither loveth me shall.
He loved my Father and I will love him, will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Ascariot. Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, The man loved me, He will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.
This is Christianity, this is how we can enjoy it now, by the Spirit of God.
And so the Lord is going away. Tremendous loss to them. They look for Him as their Messiah who had at that time established the Kingdom, and he's going away. But something more wonderful was going to take place after he had accomplished that work of redemption.
That they would have the Holy Spirit in dwelling them, who would make the very presence of the Father and the Son real to them.
So again, in the nine, in the last chapter of Matthew, he says, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Judas tried to understand this. It's something that we all need to understand by faith, but I'm sure every one of us who know the Lord often have a very real sense of His presence and we see Him not in a vision, but we see Him by faith.
I I had had this thought and I don't want to debate the issue, but the thought had occurred to me that the Lord Jesus is saying yet a little while and the world will not see me any longer. But you will see me because I will rise again and I will meet you on the way to Galilee. Now that's not really a wrong thought, is it?
That he told his disciples that they would see him again.
It's an interesting thing to me that no unbeliever ever saw the Lord Jesus after his resurrection. No unbeliever saw the Lord Jesus after his resurrection.
Only believers saw him after he was raised again. And so that had been the thought that I had brought with me to this meeting and I suggested as something to think about I.
I think that the truth is there that He said the world is not going to see me any longer. I'm going to go into a grave and they won't see me after that. But you will, because I'll be raised again and you'll see me and I'll meet you in Galilee. And we know that He did. I certainly believe that is correct thought. But the expression goes beyond it, doesn't it?
Because I it seems to me that he is Speaking of the Spirit making Him known us in living reality and as a glorified man.
Get that in the 16th chapter you shall see me, because I go to my father.
Well, I think they He could very well refer to Himself in resurrection as being seen of Him. But the thought of the spirits coming and indwelling believers, the spirit taking the things of Christ and showing them to us, and teaching us all things, and bringing to remembrance that which He has spoken, would reveal Him to us as a glorified man, and we would see Him as we saw in Hebrews 2 many times.
Reading in connection with the breaking of bread, we see Jesus.
But if in the 24th version been brought out that not only will we go to see him.
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That is, he's coming for us.
But in the meantime, both the father and the son.
Will come down here, that is in spirit so that we can enjoy His presence in the meantime. In other words, we're going to see Him, but now he's coming down to see us, as it were.
By the Spirit, so we can enjoy that communion that we're going to have forever.
Right here and now. I believe that's what we have in the 24th verse.
A 23rd verse.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him.
And we, we will come unto him, and make our abode with Him. There was a time when David sat before the Lord.
And he told him about his house for a long time to come, and that was just before.
David committed one of his worst sins when Peter was just before Peter denied the Lord or was told he was going to deny the Lord. The Lord told Peter I've appointed you a Kingdom. I'm telling he was telling him what he was going to give him and then he says Satan has desired to have him sift to his weak. The point is that.
Let's not miss the presence of the Lord, because we'll get discouraged down here.
We do of the trials and difficulties we're going to go through still while we're here, we're going to have trials and difficulties. That's part of the pathway by these things men live. But remember that if we're in his presence, we'll have that encouragement beforehand carry us through.
Well, it's wonderful that God has given us his whole revealed mind and His word, hasn't He? As so he says, He'll teach you all things, and then bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. So it's the voice of a glorified Christ from heaven. There's what he said on earth brought back to our remembrance. But Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven and received those precious revelations.
And so how wonderful that all these things here.
Are made good in our souls by the Spirit of God. The Canon of Revelation is complete, isn't it?
And the Spirit of God would lead us into all truth. It's very beautiful to see that.