June 2024 ~ Matt Mitchell

Sunday, June 30, 2024

“Show Us The Father” [Matt's Messages]

6/30/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Show Us The Father”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

June 30, 2024 :: John 14:7-14

You probably noticed that we're starting right in the middle of a quote from Jesus. Last week, we ended with verse 6, and Jesus was talking, and we just left it hanging there in the middle of a two-part statement from Jesus! So that’s where we start up today.

It’s going to be like that for the next few months as we study the Farewell Teachings of Jesus together. We’re slowing down and taking each part of chapters 14, 15, and 16 bit by bit. Most of these 3 chapters are just Jesus teaching the deepest truths He wants His followers to know while He’s away. And we want to soak up every last bit of it. So, we’ll just take a little bit and chew on that and then take the next little bit and chew on that. And I’ll try to make connections from week to week so that we don’t lose sight of the forest as we look closely at each of the trees.

But the trees today are verses 7 through 14.

[VIDEO WILL BE EMBEDDED HERE.]

“Show us the Father.”

Let me ask you a question. Is that a good prayer request? Is that a good thing for us to pray today?

“Show us the Father.” Is that a good thing to pray?

Those four words come directly from verse 8. The disciple Philip requests that Jesus show the Father to him and the rest of the disciples. Look at verse 8.

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’”

That sounds like a pretty good prayer request to me. At least at first. It seems both big and humble to me. At least considered all by itself.

Philip asks to see the Father. And we know, in context, that’s God the Father! Which is a pretty audacious thing to ask! It’s kind of like Moses praying to Yahweh in Exodus 33, “Show me your glory!” (Exodus 33:18).

That’s a big ask! It’s a good and glorious thing Philip is asking for, a revelation of God the Father.

And Philip is asking the right Person. Jesus has just said that He Himself is the way, the truth, and the life, and that nobody (but nobody) gets to the Father (and into His house, His Father’s spacious house) except through Jesus Himself.

So Philip is asking the right Person. He’s asking the Son to show them the Father.

And He seems kind of humble about it. He’s not saying that he deserves to be shown the Father. And He says that that’s all he asks. “And that will be enough for us.” That will be sufficient.

However, Jesus is not happy with Philip’s request. In fact, Jesus rebukes Philip for asking for this right here. He actually asks Philip in verse 9, “How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

“How could you pray that?! Why would you think that’s a good thing to ask right now?!”

Jesus does not think that this is a good prayer request.

How come?

Well, for one, because Philip was not grasping what Jesus had just said to them! Look with me at verse 7. Actually, let’s start in verse 6 to put last week’s together with this week’s.

Jesus met in private with His disciples on the night before the Cross, and He said He was going away and that His disciples knew the way to where He was going. Thomas said, “No. We don’t know the way.” Verse 6.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [Verse 7.] If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’”

Do you see why Jesus might be very disappointed in Philip’s request?

He just said, “You have seen Him. You have seen the Father.” And Philip says, “That sounds good! Show us the Father.” Verse 8.

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’”

It’s like he’s looking around Jesus, and seeing if the Father is standing behind Him somehow or will appear behind Him.

“That’s great, Jesus. Go ahead and do that. Conjure up the Father. Give us a vision of Him. Make the Father appear to us. If you do that, then that’ll be plenty. Then we’ll be satisfied. We’re ready. We’re all set.”

But Philip wasn’t listening. Jesus just said, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'”

“Don’t push me aside and ask to see the Father. I’m right here. I’m showing you the Father. That’s why I’m here.” Look at verse 9.

“Jesus answered: ‘Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (v.9).

“What do think I’ve been doing these last three years? 'Show us the Father?' I have! I am! Right now!”

This morning, I have four points of application that I want make, and I’ve boiled them down into 4 short words to make them, hopefully, easy to remember if not always easy to actually do.

#1. See.

#2. Believe.

#3. Do.

#4. Ask.

Let’s talk about the first one.

#1. SEE.

See the Father by looking at the Son. Know the Father by knowing His Son. That’s why Jesus came, is it not?

We learned this way back almost a year ago when we started in on the Gospel of John. It’s in chapter 1. Where Jesus is called “The Word.” Remember that?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

And what did that eternal Word do? He became flesh. He became one of us. John 1:14.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 NIVO).

And why? Why did He come. What did that accomplish? John 1:18. “No one has ever seen God [the Father], but God the One and Only [God the Son], who is at the Father's side, has made him known” (Jn. 1:18 NIVO).

John got it! By the time he wrote his gospel, John understood what Jesus was saying here in the Farewell Teachings.

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” The visible Son makes the invisible Father known and seen.

And here’s how He can do that: They are IN one another. Look at what Jesus says to Philip in verse 10.

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (v.10).

Now these are mind-blowing ideas, but they are foundational to the whole Christian faith.

God the Son is so close to God the Father that they can be said to be IN one another. We call that the doctrine of “mutual indwelling” or “co-inherence” or sometimes it’s called “perichoresis” or “inter-penetration.”

It’s a vital part of the doctrine of the Trinity that the Father and the Son are distinct in their Persons but are at the same time One Being, One essence, One substance. Perfectly together and undivided.

There is only One God! Even though eternally there are, subsisting in that One God, three Persons.

[And we’re going to get to the Third Person next week, Lord-willing! But here it’s the Son and the Father.]

Remember again what we learned in chapter 1, verse 1?

“In the beginning was the Word [another name for the Son, and the Word [the Son] was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

We said that God Son and God the Father had with-ness and was-ness. Remember that? “With God and was God.”

Well, here we learn that the Son and the Father also have in-ness.

Their with-ness is so close because of their is-ness that we have to say that they have in-ness.

I know that I’m making up words, but it’s to try to get across this point that Jesus wants His disciples to understand.

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (v.10a).

“Why would you ask to be shown the Father, when you have me?”

“He’s IN me. I’m IN Him. You’re seeing the Father right now, Philip. You’re hearing from the Father right now, Philip.”

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (v.10b).

What do we call that the Persons of the Trinity are working so closely together that the work of One Person is also the work of the Others? “Inseparable Operations.”

Why is this important? Why are we spending so much time on it this morning? Because the application is to see the Father by looking at the Son. If you want to know God, then you study Jesus. If you want to come to the Father, then you come to the Son. If you want to know what God is like, what He loves, what is important to Him, what God’s heart is all about, then stare at Jesus.

Don’t try to go around Jesus. Don’t try to look around Jesus!

Some people say they “believe in God,” but they “aren’t so sure about that Jesus guy.” They like the God of nature and the great outdoors, but they aren’t into all of that Jesus-stuff, like the Sermon on the Mount, and loving your enemies and all of that stuff.

If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know God. Jesus is Who God is! There’s no other way to know Him.

This section is the densest section in the whole Gospel of John for teaching about Who the Father is. The words “The Father” are repeated 12 times in just 8 verses. The most in all of the book!

But the focus is never on the Father by Himself. Because the Father is never by Himself! He’s always the Father, which means there is always the Son! And the Son is the Father’s appointed means for us to know Him.

See the Son by looking at the Father.

This applies to our lives in lots of ways. Take Bible study for example. Don’t ever try to read your Bible and understand who God is by looking around or behind Jesus or away from Jesus. It’s okay to try to study the Father. But never try to understand the Father by Himself. Always make connections to the Son. Because He’s the fullest revelation to us of the Father. Does that make sense?

See the Father by looking at the Son.

#2. BELIEVE.

Believe in the Son because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.

Jesus has already used the word “believe” in verse 10. He says it again in verse 11.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”

Jesus invites His disciples to put their faith in Him and believe in His inextricable co-inherence with the Father. And if the disciples are struggling to do that, Jesus reminds them to just believe on the evidence of what they have seen with their own eyes.

The NIV has “miracles” in verse 11, but it’s actually bigger than that. It’s “works.” It’s everything that Jesus has been doing, working all along. Everything they’ve seen Him do for the last three years. From turning over tables in the temple, to walking on water, to raising Lazarus from the dead, to washing their feet that very night.

Jesus says, “Think about everything you’ve seen me do, and then put your faith in me.”

Have you done that? Are you doing that?

That’s the whole point of this book we’re studying right now. John said that these things in his book have been written out for us “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31 NIVO).

Jesus Himself said that He “is the life,” and we get that His life through putting our faith in Him. Believe.

You and I have even more reason than these disciples did to believe in Jesus because we live on the other side of His greatest work--what He did on the Cross and at the Empty Tomb. That’s part of the point of verse 12.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

That’s application point number three.

#3. DO.

Do greater things for and with Jesus on this side of the Cross than Jesus did on that side of the Cross.

Now, there’s a lot I love about verse 12, but there’s some things in there I struggle with.

I love that we are active and not just passive. Jesus says that we get to DO things. In fact, we get to do GREAT things! We don’t just come to Christ and then sit around staring at each other. I love that our faith means action.

I’m super glad that we are not saved by our works. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But we are saved to do good works! Jesus says here that anyone who has faith in Him will do what He has been doing. In fact, He says (v.12 again), “He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Now, that I sometimes struggle with that.

I like the sound of it, but I’m not sure what all’s involved. Does He mean that I’m supposed to feed five thousand people with just a happy meal? Does He mean that I’m supposed to put mudpacks on blind people’s eyes and heal them? That I’m supposed to call people out of their tombs?

I doubt it.

My guess is that I’m supposed to do the things He’s specifically told us are His example for us–like washing other people’s feet. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And sharing the good news of the kingdom of God.

But He says that what I do will be greater than what He has been doing so far. How is that?!

We just got done saying that Father is in Him and He is in the Father. How can our works be greater than His?

The key, I think, is in those last few words of verse 12. Why are they greater? “BECAUSE I am going to the Father.”

And we know how He’s getting there. He’s going to the Father through the Cross. And then His resurrection and the Empty Tomb. And then His ascension to the Right Hand.

That’s how He’s going to the Father.

And everything will be greater after that.

So these greater things are not greater in spectacle or power. They are greater in era. Everything that we do now in faith looks backwards to the Cross and the Empty Tomb and the glorification of our Savior.

So there’s a greater quality to our works on this side of the Cross. They are blood-bought works and done for the glory of the Resurrected Jesus.

And they are greater in quantity, too. Because, as we’re going to learn next time, the Spirit is going to come and ratchet everything up to eleven. So it’s not like we get superior miracles to perform than what Jesus was up to. We get to do our good works for Jesus in the era of the Spirit after the glorification of the Son.

And everything is better then!

So, for example, I don’t know how many people Jesus talked to during his earthly ministry, but after He went to Father, thousands came to trust to Him in the early days of the church. And then thousands more. And then thousands more. And then millions more. And then millions and millions more. Greater things!

Jesus never (to our knowledge) left Israel. But now we are talking about Him right here in central Pennsylvania today. All because He went to the Father.

And here’s the application of that. We need to do. We need to do great things! We need to attempt great things for the Lord.

Everything He’s asked us to do in following His example (like washing feet and loving our enemies) and all kinds of things we can come up with to serve Him in faith.

And those things we do will be “greater things” because He has gone to the Father. Does that make sense?

Does that make you want to try some things and to be bold?

I think that these three we heard from this morning who are going to Malawi in 41 days are living out verse 12.

I think the 15 who are in the van to Challenge are living out verse 12.

And everyone here who did something this week because you belong to Jesus and believe in Him, are living out verse 12, too.

The missionary William Carey was fond of saying, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

And they might actually seem quite small. But if done in the name of the resurrected Son, in the power of the Spirit, and to the glory of the Father, then they will be greater in some way than everything we’ve read in chapters 1 through 13!!!

What might you do this week in faith?

And what might you pray for and ask Jesus to do this week?

That’s the last of our four applications.

#4. ASK.

Ask for big things in Jesus’ name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Last two verses. Great big promise. Verse 13.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Wow. I love the sound of that, too. But I also have questions.

I believe that Jesus means every single word in these two verses. But it’s every single word together. And it’s all in the context of everything else He says. We don’t rip these out of the rest of the Bible, and try to figure out what they mean and don’t mean on their own.

Jesus means the words “whatever” in verse 13 and “anything” in verse 14. That means that we can pray about whatever and we can ask for anything.

And He also means “I will do” in verse 13, and “I will do it” in verse 14. That means that Jesus answers prayer! He personally is involved in answering His follower’s prayer requests. “I will do it.”

But He also means the words “in my name.” And those words are not just a tagline that we slip into each prayer to make sure that it’s kosher. “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“Oh, you didn’t say, ‘In Jesus’ name, Amen.’ So that one’s no good!”

No, praying in Jesus’ name means praying in Jesus’ authorization.

It means praying in Jesus’ reputation.

It means praying in Jesus’ character.

It means praying for the things that Jesus wants done.

So, we shouldn’t go praying for anything that we know that Jesus hates.

Don’t pray about who to commit adultery with.

Don’t pray about who to murder.

Don’t pray about how to get away with theft or slander.

That is not prayer in Jesus’ name.

Praying in Jesus’ name is not telling Jesus what to do. It’s not ordering Him around. Yes, He says, “I will do it.” But the key word here is “ask.”

If you want to know what to ask for, look at Jesus. Look at what He prayed for. And pray in line with what you see. Just like looking at the heart of the Son will reveal the heart of the Father, it will also show you the heart of prayer. Jesus means that we ask in His name and only His name.

And He means for us to ask for things that will ultimately bring glory to His Father.

Don’t miss those words in verse 13.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

That has to be the result of His answering our prayers with YES or it will be NO.

And, of course, that’s often mysterious.

We don’t always understand (in fact, we often don’t understand) what will bring the most glory to the Father in a given situation. We can keep from praying for things that we know won’t. But we don’t always know what will.

We can pray, for example, for a new car. Probably shouldn’t pray for 12 new cars and, “Lord, it would be great if one of them was a Rolls-Royce.” But we might not even get that new car because in not getting the car, the Father will get even more glory from whatever He gives us instead.

We can pray for rain. Who was praying for rain yesterday? Thanks a lot! But someone else might be praying that it not rain at a given day or time for a particular reason. And which one will bring ultimate glory to the Father? We leave that up to Him.

But we can and should pray about whatever and ask for anything in Jesus’ name, and we can be sure that He will answer.

Isn’t that good news?!

Remember, these disciples are tempted to be troubled. They are distraught over His departure. But Jesus is assuring them that even if He goes away, they can still talk to Him! And they can still be sure that He is at work. He’s still doing stuff.

Do you need to hear that this morning?

I think these two verses were the biggest challenge to me personally this week, as I prepared this message. Because they confronted me with my relative prayerlessness. I am not asking enough.

I pray. And I pray with others. But am I asking Jesus to do big things? In line with His reputation, His character, His authorization, His will. And trusting in the Father’s wisdom to answer as He sees fit.

But am I asking?

There’s something right now that I’ve begun praying for, but I’ve been really timid about it. I’ve shot it into my prayers from time to time. But I haven’t really been asking. Jesus tells His disciples to ASK.

How about you? Are you taking Jesus up on this offer?

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Ask!

What I love about this invitation to pray about whatever and anything is that Jesus answers us, not because He loves us (even though He does) but because He loves His Father!

Jesus promises to answer our prayers so that the the Son may bring glory to the Father.

God gets glory when He gives us the things we ask for! And we know that the Father loves to glorify the Son, and we know that the Son loves to glorify the Father. Because they are IN one another!

The have is-ness and with-ness and in-ness.

And if we understand that, then I think we can even pray with great confidence, “Lord Jesus, through Your glorious Self, show us the Father.”

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6

33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6

“I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” [Matt's Messages]

6/23/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

June 23, 2024 :: John 14:1-6

Are you troubled right now?

Are you in distress? Is your heart heavy, worried, burdened, scared?

I would imagine that many of us in this room are troubled right now or very tempted to be.

Some of us are happy and joyful and everything in our lives is running smoothly. But I know there is at least one heavy heart in every pew. Probably more.

There are a lot of reasons to be troubled in heart.

Financial troubles.

Family troubles.

Job troubles.

Health troubles.

There are a lot of crises facing our country right now.

We’re living in another American election year, and the stakes can feel really high. And what will happen if your guy doesn’t win and the other guy does?

And not our just country, but our world is in turmoil. Just read the headlines. There are a lot of reasons to be troubled in heart.

Are you troubled right now? If you weren’t already, I probably just pushed you into it.

In this passage of Scripture, the disciples of Jesus were tempted to be troubled. They had just received four big shocks to their systems. You will remember that they are gathered closely together in secret with Jesus on the most important night in human history. The night before the Cross.

Jesus has gotten up from the table and washed their feet. That was a shocker! Their feet are still moist from His gentle hands wiping off the dirt of the street.

Then Jesus had predicted that He will be betrayed by one of them. We know which one it was (and he’s now left the circle with Satan). But they couldn’t believe it was going to happen at all.

And Jesus also predicted that Simon Peter himself was going to disown Jesus that very night. That also seemed unthinkable.

And maybe the biggest shock of all was that Jesus said that He was going away. And that where He was going, they could not follow (13:33).

He also gave them the new command to love one another (that we are memorizing right now), but they could hardly hear that because they were so shocked that Jesus was leaving them!

In fact, we often call these three chapters the “Farewell Teaching of Jesus.” Chapters 14, 15, and 16 are what our Lord taught His disciples to get them ready for His departure. We’re going to spend the whole summer studying them deeply. Because these chapters contain some of the deepest, most important things we need to know.

Including how to keep from being troubled in heart.

Jesus said, verse 1. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

By the way, that is not a rebuke. Jesus is not disappointed that they were troubled in their hearts. “Why are you so worried? Cut it out.” Some of you will read “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” and immediately feel shame.

But it’s not shameful to have a troubled heart. You know how I know? Look up the page at verse 21 of the previous chapter. Look Who is troubled there in 13:21. Same Greek word. Jesus was troubled. It’s okay to be feel shaken. It’s okay to feel distressed.

This is not a rebuke. It is a comfort! Jesus is not taking them to task; He’s sharing the truth that will bring their hearts to rest.

Now, if you refuse to be comforted by this truth, that might be another story. If you embrace being troubled in heart and refuse this counsel that Jesus gives us here, then you might need rebuking.

But it was perfectly natural to be troubled by the thought that Jesus was leaving them.

Imagine being with Jesus constantly for three whole years, and then, all of a sudden, hearing that He was taking off and leaving you behind! Kind of like how the Evans feel and how our church feels now that Jonalie has been taken from our midst.

“Jesus was going away. Of course, we’re going to be distressed.”

But Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” “It’s going to be okay. Trust Me.”

In fact, that’s the short answer for how to keep from being troubled in heart:

Trust in Jesus.

It sounds so simple. Yet it’s incredibly profound. Look again at verse 1.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

Faith in Jesus makes fear run away. Trust in God settles the troubled heart.

Jesus says, “Trust in God.” Or that could be translated, “You believe in God.” Like that’s what they already do. They already believe in God. Now, Jesus says “Go deeper.” Believe also in Him, God’s Son.

And, of course, that would be highly controversial to the Jews. Putting faith in Jesus right alongside faith in God.

It’s statements like that that have gotten Jesus into so much trouble out there. It’s statements like that that have led to what is going to happen to Jesus later that very night. But it’s also statements like that that make all the difference for our lives now and forever!

Troubled in heart? Trust in Jesus.

Now, of course, that’s easier said than done. It is simple, but it’s not always easy to trust in Jesus. So Jesus gave His disciples multiple reasons to trust Him that night.

I’d like to summarize them in three points of how we should trust Him today, as well. Here’s number one.

#1. TRUST IN JESUS TO PREPARE A HOME FOR YOU.

Trust in Jesus to prepare an eternal home for you. That’s where Jesus starts. He assures His disciples that His departure is for a very good reason. Yes, He’s going away, but it’s going to be for their good. Look at verse 2.

“Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

If you don’t have that memorized yet, you really should. This is some of the deepest, most precious truth in the whole Bible.

Jesus says that His Father (that’s God!) has a house, and it has many rooms in it. Now in chapter 2, we learned that Jesus called the temple in Jerusalem, “My Father’s House.” But Jesus isn’t just going to the temple now. He’s going to what the earthly temple only symbolized. Heaven itself.

Tomorrow, Jesus is going to die. (And He knows it.) And He’s going to go to heaven. And soon after that, He’s going to ascend to heaven (in His resurrected body). He’s going away to heaven in both ways. I think that’s the departure He’s talking about. His death and His ascension.

And there is a reason for His departure. He’s going to His Father’s House to get a place ready for His disciples.

“I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

Isn’t that good news?! I guess it’s okay if Jesus goes away, if He’s going away to get a place ready for me in heaven, right?

By the way, I’m glad the newer translations use the word “rooms” or “dwelling places” in verse 2 instead of “mansions” like the old King James. Because we don’t use the English word “mansion” the same way today that people did back in the time of King James. “Mansion” back then just meant rooms or dwelling places or apartments. (They still use the word that way in places in the UK.)

We use it now to refer to big personal castles and imposing palatial homes. But see what Jesus says in verse 2. These “rooms” the Greek word is “monay” (from “meno,” to “abide”), these abiding places are IN “my Father’s house.”

The emphasis here is not that we are off on our own in some personal gigantic building on a hilltop. But that we are dwelling close to the Father, in His own home. We have a personal space, a personal place in God’s own home!

We will be near to God forever! If that doesn’t chase away a troubled heart, what will?!

What is troubling your heart right now? No matter how terrible it really is. Put it up beside this. Put it beside the fact (the fact!) that Jesus has prepared and is preparing(!) a place for you in God’s eternal home.

Jesus says that there is room for you there. He would tell you if it was already full.

There is room. Don’t get the idea from “rooms” that it’s small. Just because it’s not “mansions,” doesn’t mean it isn’t big. It’s huge! There’s plenty of space for all of Jesus’ disciples. “It’s a big big house with lots and lots of room!” Right? Some of you remember that song?

There is room for you there to abide with God.

And that is why Jesus is going away. Why He’s going away to the Cross in a just a few hours. And why He’s gone away from us right now. So it’s worth it.

But it’s even better than that. Because He’s not going to stay away! Look at verse 3.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

#2. TRUST IN JESUS TO COME BACK TO TAKE YOU HOME WITH HIM.

Jesus doesn’t just promise to go away. He doesn’t just promise to get a place ready for His disciples. Jesus personally promises to personally return to His disciples and personally take them, bring them to be with Him personally in that place.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Doesn’t that beat anything that you’re worried about today?

Jesus has promised to return.

We just quoted Article 9 of our EFCA Statement of Faith.

“We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.”

And it gives rest to our troubled hearts.

“I will come back.”

Do you believe that? I think He was talking about His resurrection. He will come back from the dead. And I think He was also talking about the “parousia,” His second coming.

And what’s great about that, is that He isn’t just coming back, but He’s coming back to take us to be with Him forever in His Father’s House.

“That you may also be where I am.”

He’s coming to get us!

I don’t know when. But I know it’s going to happen. And it makes everything okay.

And then Jesus says to His disciples (v.4), “You know the way to the place where I am going.” And his disciple Thomas says, “No, no, we really don’t.” “We don’t get it. We don’t know what you’re talking about.” Verse 5.

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’”

I love his honesty. Thomas always tells it like he sees it. Which gives Jesus the opportunity to say one of the most profound and important things anyone has ever heard. Verse 6.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

That’s our sermon title for today. It’s the 6th of the 7 “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John.

Once again, Jesus makes everything about Himself.

He said, "I am the Bread of Life."

He said, "I am the Light of the World."

He said, "I am the Gate for the Sheep."

He said, "I am the Good Shepherd."

He said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

And now He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

He makes everything about Himself.

Because, apparently, everything is about Him. Way, Truth, and Life!

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “I know the way to the Father.” He doesn’t say, “I know the secret truths.” He doesn’t say, “I know where to find life.”

He says, “I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life.” You have to come to Him personally for those things.

The word “way” means “a path” or a “road.” It’s the “way” you get somewhere.

I drove over 1600 miles in the last three weeks, on our vacation.

We flew into Seattle and then borrowed a car from Heather’s aunt and then went visiting people.

We visited Tom and Stacey Fisch in Tacoma, and we visited our son Andrew in Sullivan Lake, Washington. We got to see where he works.

By the way, Andrew is working the Pioneer Fire right now so I’d appreciate prayer for him. There’s over 4,000 acres burning out there, and his crew is in the thick of it. He loves it, but it is dangerous. So thanks for praying for him.

Then we drove to Calgary and visited family there and then through the Canadian Rockies to visit family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

And my faithful navigator, to whom I’ve now been blessed to be married for 30 wonderful years, gave me great directions for all 1600 miles. Safely there and back again.

Heather Joy is a master of the map and great at deciphering the directions on the GPS.

Jesus is kind of like that GPS, right? He’s kind of like the map. He gives us the directions. He shows us the way.

But He’s more than that, isn’t He? He is the directions!

And He’s more than that. He’s the actual way. He’s the actual road. He’s the actual pathway that we travel to get to God the Father!

Just like He’s the gate. He’s the way.

And the only way. You only get to the Father if you come through Him. That’s exclusive. That’s narrow. There’s only one way. So, I’m glad He told us! There are not many paths. There is only one path, and the path is Jesus Himself.

He has gone away to make us a home. He will personally come back to personally take us home.

So we need to trust Him to do that.

#3. TRUST IN JESUS AS YOUR WAY, YOUR TRUTH, AND YOUR LIFE.

If Jesus is THE way, then He needs to be YOUR way.

If Jesus is THE truth, then He needs to be YOUR truth.

If Jesus is THE life, then He needs to be YOUR life.

You’ve got to make this personal. Jesus has!

This is life and death. This isn’t just a great name for a radio station. This is life and death. Eternal life and death.

Have you trusted Jesus as your own way to the Father? Have you trusted Jesus as your ultimate reality? He is what is true for you? Have you trusted Jesus as your own life?

If you do not, then you are not getting to the Father and you will not live in His house. But if you do, then you will.

You will have a place in God’s eternal home.

You will know what is real and true forever.

You will have life in Jesus’ name.

And He will hold you fast. Trust in Jesus.

I posted Jesus’ words on social media yesterday, and Bonnie commented, “I embrace this passage.” That’s exactly right. That’s exactly what we all need to do. Not just nod our heads. But to embrace what this passage says. And embrace the Jesus of whom it speaks.

Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father except through me.”

And that means that all who trust in Jesus come to the Father. And live with Him forever!

Brothers and sisters, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

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