No More Loneliness

Matthew 28:20 | May 17, 2020

Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion?

A specialist was involved with evaluating the cognitive development of young children.

Part of the evaluation was asking kids to interpret idioms.

She asked one little girl, “What do you think it means when someone says, ‘Strike while the iron is hot?’”

The little girl scrunched her face in thought for a second and said, “Hit them while you're still mad.”

Close, but the wrong conclusion.

A 3-year-old girl was sitting in her mommy’s office looking at the big calculator on the desk. 

Her mother was a CPA and it was a printing calculator that had the roll of paper and made all the cool loud noises. 

The little girl asked her mom if that was how she made money. 

Her mom said, “Yet it is.”

The little girl started pressing all the buttons and the calculator started making all the noises and the paper was rolling and printing and the little girl stopped and looked up at her mom and said, “I just made us some more money.”

Close, but the wrong conclusion.

After dinner one night a little boy said, “I’m full."

His mom said, “Okay, then no dessert.”

The little boy responded, “Well, my food stomach is full, but my dessert stomach is still hungry.”

His mom jumped to the wrong conclusion – she forgot about his dessert stomach.

And you can’t forget the dessert stomach because some people get mean if they don’t get a dessert.

We all jump to conclusions from time to time. 

• With people in our house
• With people in the White House
• With people in the State House
• With people who won’t leave their house
• With people who won’t stay at their house
• With people at Waffle House wearing masks
• With people at Waffle House not wearing masks

The only exercise that some folks are getting right now is reading social media and jumping to conclusions. 

In fact, I heard about a guy this week that went for an x-ray and the doctor said that he had a severe fracture in his leg from jumping to conclusions.

You know, I can keep these dad jokes going all day. 

But what if I were to tell you that one of the absolute best things you could ever do is to jump to a conclusion?

Let me repeat that – jump to “a” conclusion – in other words, there is a specific conclusion that exists right now, and you need to jump to it.

There is a historical, practical, spiritual, emotional reality that has the power to change your outlook and your attitude no matter what is happening in your life and you need to jump to it.

So, what is this one thing you need to jump to?

Jesus was sharing some of his last words on earth. 

He’s talking to his closest friends and he’s giving them their commission in life – he’s giving them the most important thing they were going to do for the rest of their lives. 

High school and college graduates, you are in a similar moment right now.

This is that moment where the structure of our society is telling you that you have to figure it all out right now and decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life. 

But can I just graciously encourage you that if you can get this one thing from Jesus – if you can really get it – you will have everything you need in life no matter what you decide to do.

So, what did Jesus say?

Here it is – Matthew 28, verse 20:

20 and lo,

Boom!

That’s it!

That’s all you need to know!

One word – two letters – “Lo!”

What is lo?

It’s not short for Lobot – it’s an actual word all on its own.

Lo means:

• Take note
• Pay attention
• Tattoo this on your brain

You may have heard about “famous last words” meaning the last things that people said before they died. 

But Jesus was not dying – he had already done that.

Jesus of Nazareth was arrested around 2 o’clock in the morning on Friday and by 9 o’clock in the morning he was being crucified on a cross outside of Jerusalem. 

His dead body was buried in a tomb owned by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. 

And on the third day that tomb was empty because Jesus rose from the grave and he is still alive – he is risen indeed!

So, because Jesus is the only person who died and rose again and has never died again that makes these non-dying words from him a super, gigantic big deal.

Gary Bolding is an artist from El Dorado, Arkansas, and he was a professor at Stetson University in Florida from 1989 to 2017.

He was invited to be the commencement speaker at Emory University in 1998 and during his address he said this:

Gary Bolding

Your families are extremely proud of you. You can't imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing. This would be a most opportune time to ask for money.

That sounds like some pretty solid advice.

Jesus is not a commencement speaker giving his friends advice as they graduate with their “Master’s” degree.

Jesus is the baby in the manger who grew to be the man who healed the sick and made the blind to see and he is the Savior who died on the cross for the sins of the world and he is the Son of God who rose from the grave and he is the Prince of Peace who ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, so, we should perk up and listen and up and take note of his words.

When he says “Lo” we should listen. 

So, what does he tell his friends?

20 and lo, I am with you

These aren’t just words for his friends. 

If you are a Christian, a true follower of Christ, then those words are for you, so, don’t miss them. 

Jesus is with you. 

The baby in the manger who grew to be the man who healed the sick and made the blind to see and the one who is the Savior who died on the cross for the sins of the world and the one who is the Son of God that rose from the grave and the one who is the Prince of Peace who ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God – he is with you!

So, this might be a helpful moment to ask the most important question you can ask yourself today:

Is Jesus with you?

Are you right with God?

Have you repented of your sin and turned to God – not do you feel bad about doing the wrong thing every now and then, but are you genuinely sorrowful and ashamed and appalled with your sin?

Nobody’s perfect, but have you truly turned away from being okay with your sin and turned to Christ?

And beyond repenting, do you have faith in Christ?

Are you living your life today confident that there is no other alternative for salvation – that good deeds and religion will not make things right between you and God?

William Saroyan was an American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and an Academy Award in 1944.

He died 39 years ago this month and it is reported that this was the last thing he said:

William Saroyan

Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case. What now?

When it comes to death, there are no exceptions.

When it comes to standing before God, there are no exceptions.

So, we ask again:

Is Jesus with you?

If he is with you, there are also no exceptions with his life over death.

He is with you and no power of hell and no scheme of man can ever pluck you from his hand.

That sounds biblically accurate and spiritually helpful, but if you are a Christian, how is Jesus with you?

After all, he left earth and he’s currently at the right hand of God, so how can he be with us?

I can’t give you a metaphysical explanation, I can simply repeat the reality that Jesus promised that he is with believers.

Vernon Hoggard was one of the dearest friends I have ever had.

He died 17 years ago at the age of 65.

I was in my late 20’s when I met Vernon at the first church I pastored in Aulander, North Carolina, and it seems we were around each other almost every day for about 3 years.

A few times a month I usually had to drive an hour to the Pitt County Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina, to visit folks and Vernon would often ride with me. 

Being an hour away we always took a little extra time and went and grabbed a hot dog somewhere or walked through Lowe’s or Sam’s or Target.

Vernon never bought anything, and I always came out of every store with a pack of gum or a Yoo-hoo or something. 

He owned a small grocery store for more than 30 years and in 3 years of shopping together I can only remember Vernon making one purchase – he bought a quart of chicken salad from Sam’s because he thought it was a pretty good deal.

I called him that night and asked him if he had tried it and in his noble Eastern North Carolina dialect he said it was “terrible”.

Over the years I have learned to leave a store without buying anything and I think of Vernon almost every time when I’m walking out of the door empty-handed.

There is hardly a week that goes by that something I learned from Vernon doesn’t cross my mind.

His advice and his wisdom are with me.

In a similar sense, for a Christian, the wisdom and preaching and teaching and prayers and parables of Jesus are with us. 

We think about his truth and we pray about his truth and we apply his truth and we share his truth – his truth is with us and his truth is part of who we are.

But it’s not just the truth of his life and his teachings that are with us – that’s not what he said.

He said he is with us.

And the next word he uses adds a huge explanation point to that declaration.

20 and lo, I am with you always,

Always – no break in the action!

Every second of every day!

Every situation of your life!

• When you don’t get Sing-a-Long Care Bear for Christmas
• When that girl you like in the 5^th grade doesn’t like you back
• When your school graduation ceremony is live stream only
• When you don’t get into the college you wanted to
• When you get kicked out of the college you got into
• When your brand-new car gets scratched at the mall
• When the person you voted for doesn’t get elected
• When you don’t get the promotion
• When you lose your job
• When your toddler seems impossible
• When your teenager seems impossible
• When your spouse seems impossible

When health issues press down upon your own body or press down on someone you love.

When a pandemic hits your country and every emotion of fear and anger and arrogance and conspiracy and criticism crash on your heart and mind and mouth and text messages with a wild, overwhelming force.

For every one of those moments – and more – if you are in Christ you can pull over on the side of the road or pull yourself out in the hall and shout quietly to your soul:

• “Lo!”
• “He is with me always!”
• “He is with me always!”
• “He is with me always!”

How is that possible?

Jesus gave the answer to that question the night before he was crucified. 

This is what Jesus told his disciples:

John 14:26

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.

At just the right time in history Jesus came to help sinners like me and you come to God.

And at just the right time in history Jesus physically left.

But when he left, he sent the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of what we call the Trinity – God in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

And as God, the Holy Spirit is a helper just like Jesus. 

The Spirit helps people get rescued. 

The Spirit helps people come to God. 

And once people come to God, the Spirit stays with them. 

How long?

A few seconds earlier Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would be with them forever!

Forever!

Talk about a cure for loneliness!

In the Old Testament, the primary source of help was God. 

In the beginning of the New Testament, the primary source of help was Jesus. 

We live in this incredible time where we have the Spirit to help. 

• We don’t have to live back in history with the Israelites
• We don’t have to be in the Middle East sitting next to Jesus

We can be anywhere in the world and we have the very Spirit of God living inside of us!

We can be in any situation in the world and we have the very Spirit of God living inside of us.

In the Old Testament, the picture of the Holy Spirit is that he kind of goes in and out, but the picture in the New Testament is that he comes and stays!

He’s not temporary help.

He’s permanent help!

On June 29, 2003, I lost access to my friend Vernon, but it is impossible for me to lose access to the Trinity.

If you are a Christian, you never lose access to God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.

The night before he was crucified Jesus did the math for us.

It is impossible for us Jesus to not be with us, because it is impossible for a believer to be disconnected from the Holy Spirit. 

How does that work?

I have no idea!

I can’t explain it in human terms, but I know it’s real!

In the middle of the night, Jesus found himself talking to one of the church leaders named Nicodemus.

This is what Jesus said to him:

 

John 3:8

The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Billy Graham

I can’t see the wind, but I can see the effects of the wind.

I have seen the effects of the Spirit in my life!

I have seen the effects of the Spirit in the lives of others!

And because I have seen the effects of the Spirit, I have this unique, divinely orchestrated confidence that Jesus is with me.

But for how long?

Listen to the last thing Jesus says:

20 and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

News reports and social media seem to be mutating with all kinds of things that we are losing right now. 

Are there social and economic and health issues that desperately need attention?

Yes. 

Are there political and legislative and electoral issues that strategically need attention?

Yes.

But when the moment comes for me to breathe my last breath I will not be looking for a hand from the president or my senator or my pastor or my favorite band or my favorite athlete or my best friend or my wife or my kids, because it is not possible for any of them to be with me always and to usher me from life to death to life again. 

That can only come from the One who is saying to me right now while I am talking to you that he is with me always even until the very end of my life and then I will be with him forever.

142 years ago, long before the current state of world events, J.C. Ryle wrote this:

J.C. Ryle

Give a man a sensible interest in Christ – and he will be happy in spite of abounding public calamities.

J.C. Ryle

The government of his country may be thrown into confusion; rebellion and disorder may turn everything upside down;

J.C. Ryle

laws may be trampled underfoot; justice and equity may be outraged; liberty may be cast down to the ground; might may prevail over right – but still his heart will not fail.

Why?

Why will his heart not fail?

J.C. Ryle

He will remember that the kingdom of Christ will one day be set up.

In other words, blessed and happy and fortunate is the Christian that keeps telling himself or herself, “Lo!”

Blessed and happy and fortunate is the Christian that will keep reminding their heart that no matter what happens before graduation or after graduation, Jesus is with them. 

That no matter what happens before social distancing or after social distancing, Jesus is with them. 

Jesus was concluding his time on earth and with one, powerful sentence he gives every believer an amazing promise to build their lives on.

He gave us an amazing conclusion to always jump to – he is with us!

I was reading a story this week about King Victor Emanuel III of Italy who reigned from 1900-1946.

He had his car driven into battle with his troops once.

One of the Italian lieutenants was severely wounded in the battle and feeling the breath of death he called a soldier that was close by to come and take some keepsakes to deliver to his family. 

He ordered the soldier to run for his life, but the soldier reached down and tried to carry the lieutenant to safety. 

Other soldiers were yelling to leave the lieutenant and try to save his own life, but he continued to try and carry him.

Off in the distance, they began to hear the beeping of a car horn – the king was retreating.

A deeper panic rang through the ranks as that reality sank in and the young solder stopped struggling to carry the lieutenant and fell on the ground and desperately cried out, “Even the king has gone away.”

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see King Emmanuel standing over him. 

The king said, “My dear boy, the car is gone, but the king is still with you.”

If you are graduating from high school or graduating from college or hoping to graduate from social distancing, please jump to this conclusion:

If you are in Christ, no matter what you see or what you hear or what you feel or what happens to your body, you will never be alone because there will never be a moment when the King is not with you. 

Lo, he will be with you always!

Message by Dow Welsh |

May 17, 2020 © Holland Avenue Baptist Church

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Above are pre-sermon manuscript notes, not sermon transcript

Sermon scriptures NASB unless otherwise noted

Lots of help from many pastors and theologians

Weekly help from Bruce Hurt at www.preceptaustin.org

Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion ever jumped to the wrong conclusion? There's a specialist. She evaluated the cognitive development of young Children, and one of the things that she did is part of her evaluations, which she would give kids idioms and have them interpret what they thought. The idiom waas. One day she was given an idiom to a little girl, and the idiom that she gave was this one strike. While the iron is hot, it's a blacksmith term, but it is an idiom it's usually uses. Hey, here's the Here's the opportunity. Here's the chance, you know, Do it now. So the little girl kind of scratched up her face for a minute. I was thinking, and she finally said, I think it means hit people why you're still mad at him. It's close, but but it's the wrong conclusion. Another little girl was in her mom's office, and she was looking at this big, huge calculator on the desk is one of those, you know, printing calculators that have all the buttons and makes all the noises and has the role of paper and prints all the numbers. And so the little girl looked up at her mommy and she said, Mom, is this how you make money? And her mom said, Yes, I'm a C P A. That's that's how I make money The girl said, OK, Mommy. And then she started punching all the buttons and it was making all the noise and the paper was rolling and it was printing the numbers. And she looked up at her mom and she said, Mommy, I just made us some more money. Close but wrong conclusion. Lo boy sat back after dinner one night and he said, Mom, I'm full and she said, OK, then, no dessert for you He said, Well, no, actually, my food stomach is full, but But my dessert stomach is still hungry. So that Mom, she jumped to the wrong conclusion. She forgot about the desert stomach. And you can't forget about the desert stomach because, you know, some people just get mean if they don't get dessert, right? Yeah, Listen, we all jump to conclusions. All those we jump to conclusions that people in our house we jump to conclusions that people in the State House we jump to conclusions of people in the white house. We jump to conclusions with people who won't leave their house. We jump to conclusions with people who won't stay at their house. We jump to conclusions of people at the Waffle House that don't wear masks. And we jump to conclusions with people at the Waffle House that do wear masks, way jump conclusions. In fact, a lot of people right now the only exercise they are getting is opening social media and jumping to conclusions. This guy this week he went for an X ray, and I was reading about this, and his X ray showed that he had a fracture in his leg from jumping to conclusions. Yeah, I got these dad jokes all day. I could keep these things rolling. What if I were to tell you that there is a conclusion that you need to jump to that? One of the best things you could possibly do in your life is to jump to a conclusion. I noticed that the language here jumped to a conclusion. There is a specific, unique conclusion that you need to jump to one that that is historical and it's practical in its spiritual, and it's emotional. It is It is a reality, and you need to jump to it. So what is it? What is this one thing that we need to jump to? Well, Jesus was sharing some of his last words on Earth. He was talking his disciples to his closest friends, and he was giving them their their commission, so to speak. He was giving them the most important thing that they needed to do for the rest of their life. College graduates, high school graduates. You're in a similar position today. You're in this moment where where our society kind of says to you, Hey, you gotta have it all figured out. You gotta know what you're going to do right now for the rest of your life. But if I could just graciously take some pressure off of you and just say this if you can get this if you can get this this thing that Jesus said if you get this, you will have everything that you will need for the rest of your life. No matter what you do. And when you do this, one thing is that big. So what did Jesus say? Let's find out. Matthew, Chapter 28 verse 20 and Lo. That's what Jesus said. And look, boom, that's it all you need to know. One word to letters low. What is low? Well, it's not short for low baht. It's an actual word, all on its own and low, very simply means Take note. Pay attention. Get this tattoo. This own your brain. This is something you need to talent. You may have heard another idiom. Famous last words. It's the idea that maybe you might say something a little too soon and not long after will be found out that what you said was not really how things turned out. But there's also famous last words, right, the things that have been noted and reported that people actually said just before they died. Well, these weren't famous last words from Jesus because he wasn't dying. He had already done that. Jesus was arrested about two in the morning on a Friday by nine oclock in the morning, he was being crucified on a cross outside of Jerusalem. By that afternoon, he was dead. His dead body was carried to a tomb owned by a man named Joseph of Arimathea on the third day, though, that tomb was empty because Jesus had risen from the grave. He was no longer dead. He is risen. Indeed, and he is still alive today. So because Jesus is the only one ever to die, come back to life and never die again. That makes these non dine quote unquote famous last words, so to speak, Super gigantically important. Gary Boulding is an artist from El Dorado, Arkansas. He was a professor at Stetson University in Florida from 1989 2000 and 17. He was asked to be the commencement speaker at the 1998 graduation of Emory University. And in his speech, he said, This. Your families are extremely proud of you. You can't imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing. This would be a most opportune time to ask for money. That's probably good advice right there, right? Probably a really good time to get on their good side because they're all about you right now. With Jesus was not giving a commencement address. Jesus was not trying to encourage his disciples after they graduated with their master's degrees. No, Jesus is the baby in the manger that grew to be the man that healed the sick and made the blind to see and the lame toe walk He is the savior that died for the sins of the world. He is the son of God that rose from the grave. He is the king of kings who ascended and now sits at the right hand of God. So when he speaks, we should listen. When Jesus says low, we should pay attention. We should know what it means. So what did he tell his friends? Listen to the rest Verse 20 and low I am with you. These aren't just words for his disciples. They aren't just words for his friends. If you are Christian, if you're true Follower of Jesus Those air words for you so don't miss them. Jesus is with you. He is with you The baby that was born in a manger that grew to be a man who healed the sick and made the blind to see And the lame to walk the savior who died for the sins of the world The son of God rose from the grave The king of kings that ascended into heaven is out Sitting at the right hand of God he is with you. Jesus is with Yeah, Just just marinate on that for a moment. This might be a good time to just kind of ask your heart. That question is Jesus with you. Is Jesus with you? Are things right between you and God? Have you truly repented of your sin? Meaning Not that you feel bad every now and then about doing the wrong thing. But are you appalled with your sin? Are you so appalled that you've turned away so appalled that you're not okay with your sin anymore? And you've turned to Jesus and beyond repentance? Do you have faith in Christ? Do you believe there is no other alternative when it comes to salvation? You'll have another shot at this. That your good deeds or your religion will not make things right between you and God. We in Syrian was an American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 Academy Award in 1944. It is said that on his deathbed he said this 39 years ago this month is when he died. And this is what it's reported. He said, Everybody has got to die. But I've always believed an exception would be made in my case. What now? When it comes to death, there are no exceptions. When it comes to standing before God, there are no exceptions. So is Jesus with you? If he is, there are also no exceptions. No power of Helen and no scheme of man can ever pull You pluck you dragged you away from the hands of God. You are safe with Jesus. He is with you now that is biblically accurate. It it sounds spiritually comforting. But how? How is how is Jesus with a Christian? I mean, Jesus died. He rose from the grave. He ascended to heaven. He's at the right hand of God. So how can he be with us? How is Jesus with us? Well, I can't give you a metaphysical explanation. All I can do is give you and repeat to you the promise from Jesus that he said he would be with every believer. It's mind boggling. I can't get my my mind around it. But Jesus said it's true. And his resurrection, his ascension all point to him being trustworthy. Vernon Hoggard is one of the deer's friends I've ever had. He died 17 years ago at the age of 65 a met Vernon at the first church. I pastored in all lander North Carolina, and we probably did something together or saw each other every day for about three years, 23 times a month. I had to drive about an hour from where we were to Greenville, North Carolina, to go to the Pitt County Hospital. The closest Walmart was about 20 minutes away. Our town had about 800 people in it. Closest Target was an hour away, and it was agreeable. And so I had to go to the hospital to three times a month. The visit folks, and it's a Vernon would often go with me. And since we were going to be up there for a while and it was so far away, we take a little extra time and we go get a hot dog or hamburger, a sandwich or something, then that we tool around and we might go to Lowe's or Home Depot or Target or somewhere like that in all of that time, every time, burning never bought anything like ever, and I never came out of a store without a pack of gum. or you Who or something. I mean, I always got something over the course of three years every time we shop. I can only remember one time that Bernie never bought anything, and it was from Sam's. He bought like a quart of chicken salad because he thought it was a good deal. Burn own the only grocery store there in town, or at least one of one of two small grocery stores. And he owned it, I think, for more than 30 years. So he knew a lot about food and selling food. So he got this chicken salad. He said, Hey, man, this is going to be great. So that night I called him. I said, Hey, man has your chicken salad. And in his beautiful, noble eastern North Carolina drawl, he said, It's terrible. He says a lot like Charles Barkley. I didn't realize that until this week, but he just said it was terrible. I mean, just awful. You know, after all these years, I have finally learned how to go in a store and not by something. And so every time I walk out of the store, at least almost every time when I walk out of the store empty handed, knowing I didn't buy anything I usually think of earning. There's probably not a week that goes by that some experience with him or something that I learned from him does not pop up in my mind. Vernon's wisdom, his friendship, those experiences there with me all the time. In a sense, we could say the same about Jesus, the truth of what Jesus preached, what he taught, what he prayed, what he lived out, everything about the person and the life of Jesus. That truth is with us. We we carry it around with us. Way pull on it. We lean on it. It comes to our minds and our hearts. But Jesus did not say it was just his truth. That would be with us. He said he would be with us. He would be with us. And the next word he uses adds a huge exclamation point to that verse 20 and lo, I am with you always always no break in the action. Every second of every day, every situation of life Jesus is with you. If you don't get the sing alone care bear for Christmas. Jesus is with you If the girl you like in fifth grade then like you back Jesus is with you. If your high school graduation ceremony is live stream on Lee Jesus is with you always. If you don't get into the college that you wanted to get into, Jesus is with you always. If you get kicked out of the college that you got into, Jesus is with you When your brand new car gets scratched The mall Jesus is with you if you don't get the promotion. Jesus is with you If you lose your job. Jesus is with you when your toddler seems impossible. Jesus is with you when your teenager seems impossible. Jesus is with you when your spouse seems impossible Jesus is with you When health issues press down upon your body or they press upon someone that you love. Jesus is with you When a pandemic hits your country and waves of anger and fear and frustration and aggravation and criticism and conspiracy sizing That's not a word, but I made it up. If any of those things are in your mind and heart right now, we're being overwhelmed with those kinds of things. And yet, in the middle of all of that. Jesus says I'm with you always. Always. I think sometimes as soon as we hear some information, we start thinking man, this is always because it just happened. So this is how it's always going to be. But in his kindness, some of his last words to his closest friends Jesus was trying to draw them away from their definition of always and help them see is I see no matter what is happening in your life today, no matter what happens in your life later today, no matter what happens your life tomorrow, two weeks from now, 10 months from now, if you're a believer, Jesus is always with you. That means that in that moment that you're about to lose it. It's OK to pull over on the side of the road somewhere safe and just kind of gently screamed to your soul. Love, he is with me always. That means that when you're standing in the hospital room, it's okay for you to step out in the hallway and walk down to the other end and kind of gently scream to your soul low. He is with me always. This is the promise that Jesus gifts. So how is that possible? Jesus gave the answer to that question the night before he was crucified. Don't don't miss that timeline here. Before Jesus was crucified, he gave the answer for how it was possible for him to always be with us. This is what he said, John. Chapter 14 Verse 26. 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, just the right moment in history. Jesus was born at just the right moment in history. Jesus began his ministry just the right moment in history. Jesus was arrested. It just the right moment in history. Jesus was crucified in just the right moment in history. Jesus was resurrected at just the right moment in history. Jesus left just the right moment. But Jesus did not leave us hanging. He made sure that the Holy Spirit be sent to us. The Holy Spirit is the third person of what we call the Trinity God in three persons. God, the Father God the Son God, the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is a helper, just like Jesus was help. The Holy Spirit helps people get rescued. The Holy Spirit helps people come to God, the Holy Spirit. Once he comes and once he brings a person to God, the Holy Spirit stays. He stays. For how long? Well, just a few seconds earlier, when Jesus was talking to his disciples. That night, he said the Holy Spirit would be with him forever. Forever. We talk about a cure for loneliness, the holy spirit of God with you forever. In the Old Testament, the primary source of help was God. At the beginning of the New Testament, the primary source of help was Jesus. But we live in this time where the primary source of help is the Holy Spirit. That means that no matter where we are, we have the Holy Spirit. I don't have to go back in history, have help from God because I was living with the Israel lights. I don't have to go back in history and have to be sitting next to Jesus somewhere in the Middle East. Have help from God today, no matter who I am, no matter where I go, no matter what happens in my life. I have the holy spirit of God living inside of me. That is an amazing truth, an amazing reality. In the Old Testament, the picture of the Holy Spirit was that the Holy Spirit would kind of come and go. But in the New Testament, the picture of the Holy Spirit is that comes in stays. He's permanent. He's not temporary. On June 29th 2000 and three, I lost my access to my friend burning. He went to be with the Lord, but I have never lost access to Jesus. It is impossible for me to lose access to the trend. It's impossible because for me, Jesus when he says he's with me, that can't be cancelled out because I cannot be disconnected from the Holy Spirit. And so Jesus did all the math for his friends before he even went to the cross. Eventually they were going to hear him with you always. But he gave them the math beforehand. Here's how this works. I could be with you always because you cannot be disconnected from me. How does all that work? I don't know. I can't explain it to you in human terms. Jesus was speaking with a church leader one night named Nicodemus, and this is what he said to him. John, Chapter three, verse A. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the spirit. I love how Billy Graham reflects on this passage. He says it In this city, it's I can't see the wind, but I can see the effects of the wind. I've seen the effects of the Holy Spirit in my life. I've seen the effects of the Holy Spirit and the lives of other people. And because of the birth, life and death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and because I have seen the effects of the Holy Spirit, I have this unbelievable, unique, divinely created, an inspired confidence that Jesus is with me and that I cannot be connected, disconnected from him. But for how long? Well, he said, always. But is that long enough? Listen what he says. Last and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the AIDS news reports and social media seemed to be mutating right now with all kinds of things that we're losing and listen. Let's be clear. Their social and economic and health issues that desperately need attention. Yeah, are there political and legislative and electoral issues that strategically need attention? No doubt. But when I breathe my last, I will not be looking for the hand of the president where the governor or my senator, I won't be looking for the hand of my pastor. I won't be looking for the hand of my favorite band or my favorite athlete or my favorite celebrity won't be looking for the hand of my best friend won't be looking for the hand of my wife. I won't be looking for the hand of my kids because none of those people are able to be with me always. And none of those people can take me from life to death toe life again forever. That can only be done by the one who is saying to me right now while I'm talking to you that he is with me Onley Jesus, Only Jesus! 142 years ago, long before anything that was happening around our life right now was happening. J. C. Ryle wrote these words. See if you can make any connections. Give a man a sensible interest in Christ and he will be happy in spite of abounding public calamities. What does that mean? He tells us the government of his country may be thrown into confusion. Rebellion and disorder may turn everything upside down. Laws may be trampled underfoot. Justice and equity may be outraged. Liberty may be cast down to the ground. Might may prevail, overwrite. But still his heart will not fail. Why? How? How could a person's heart not failed? How could a person not lose their mind at the latest conspiracy theory? When they see it on social media? How can a person not lose their mind when they're afraid of losing their job? How can a person not lose their mind when they're afraid of catching a virus? How can a person not lose their mind even when everything is falling apart around them? How J. C. Ryle tells us he will remember that the kingdom of Christ will one day be set up. In other words, in that moment, that man, that woman will pull over on the side of the road or step out into the hall and they will scream to their soul low. He is with me, always blessed and happy and fortunate is the college graduate or the high school graduate that can look before graduation or after graduation and say low. He is with me, always blessed and happy and fortunate is the person who's hoping to graduate from being socially distance. If they say no, he is with me always, no matter what happens to us at any moment, moment in time, we can always look to the reality that Jesus is setting his kingdom up again. So Jesus was concluding his time on earth, and his conclusion was to tell his friends, Hey, I will be with you always and nothing can change that and no one can change that. So that's the conclusion that we need to jump to. No matter what's happening in our life, no matter what's happening in the world, we need to keep jumping to that conclusion low. He is with me always. I was reading this week about King King Victor Emmanuel, the third of Italy. He reigned in Italy from 1919 46 stories told that that he once had his driver take him in his car into battle with his troops. The battle got pretty fierce. Ranking lieutenant was gunned down and it was a great need. He called out to soldier that was nearby. He could feel the breath of death, and he took some keepsakes from his pockets and gave him the soldier. And he said, Please be sure these find my family, he told the soldier, You need to run for your life right now. Soldier, Didn't soldier bent down and he tried toe carry the lieutenant safety. The other soldiers around? Well, I look, he's he's gone. Just go save yourself. You can't do anything for him. But he continued to try to carry the lieutenant safety, and as he struggled and the battle went on around him, Suddenly everybody around could hear the honking of a car horn off in the distance. And they realized that. But the king was retreated and that man, he quit struggling to carry the lieutenant. He he laid him down and he fell down on his knees. He said, What am I to do? Even the king has left, and in that moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and it was King Emanuel, he said. Son, the car has gone. But the king is still with you graduates, whether you are high school or college, whether you again or somebody sitting at home hoping to graduate from social distancing real soon, no matter where you are, no matter what's happening in your life, I plead with you to jump to this conclusion. If you are in Christ, that no matter what happens to you, the king of Kings will always being here. Look no love. He is with you, always, always.