Matt Mitchell - Hot Orthodoxy

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.

“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.”

***

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

Totally Blessed - 30 Years!

6/18/2024 10:08:00 AM Happy Husband 1 comment

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,

but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones"

(Prov. 12:4 NIV84).

I've had 30 years of being crowned by this wonderful woman!

This photo was taken on our sabbatical last year at Stonehenge on our anniversary.

“The Way, the Truth, and The Life” - 2024 West Branch Baccalaureate

5/28/2024 07:00:00 PM Baccalaureate, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“The Way, the Truth, and The Life”

2024 West Branch Baccalaureate

John 14:6 :: May 28, 2024

Congratulations to The West Branch Class of 2024!

It is a joy and privilege to speak to you this evening.

It’s a joy because I’ve been watching this class grow up for the last 18 years! I’ve been around a while. I actually remember when some of your parents graduated from West Branch! In fact, I remember when your principal graduated from High School! Yes, I’m that old.

So I remember when you were all born and when you first entered school. I’ve watched you play West Branch sports and do West Branch dramas and perform West Branch concerts. I’ve had my pastoral eye on you all, and it’s a joy to be present as you pass this key milestone in your personal journeys.

And it’s a privilege because I get to talk to you tonight about my King–the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the most amazing Person Who ever lived. He’s the most compelling figure in human history. He’s the central subject in the library of books bound together we call the Bible.

The church family that I get to shepherd, Lanse Free Church, provided every senior with a copy of a short biography of Jesus written by one of His closest friends and followers, a man named John. We call it, “The Gospel According to John,” and that’s the document from which Kevin read to us this evening.

Our church family has been studying the Gospel According to John together closely for the last 10 months, so Kevin, Addison, and Zane have been listening to the Gospel of John quite a lot. We actually just studied chapter 13 two days ago. You can watch it on YouTube if you’re interested.

Next time I get to teach, we will be studying this particular passage in chapter 14, so thank you for helping me cram for my next lesson!

In the passage that Kevin just read to us, the author John recounts an interaction he witnessed between Jesus and one of his other followers, a man named Thomas. This interaction occurred on the night before Jesus was arrested and killed.

Jesus was meeting in secret with His closest friends, and had just told them that He was going away.

You see, Jesus knew was going to happen to Him in just few short hours. Jesus knew that He was going to be betrayed by a close friend, that He was going to be arrested by the Romans, that He was going to be put on trial in a mockery of justice, that He was going to be mocked and beaten and scourged and crucified. Do you know what that means? It means a human being nailed to a pole and hoisted up in the air to die of blood-loss and asphyxiation, in total shame.

Jesus knew all of that was coming, and He was trying to prepare His friends for that by telling them that He was going away but that they knew the way to the place where He was going.

And, of course, all of that was troubling to them to hear! And so confusing. So, his friend Thomas says to Jesus, “We don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?”

And Jesus answered with one of the most amazing statements ever uttered in human history, that is what we might call, “Big, if true.” It’s verse 6 of John chapter 14. That’s what I want to talk to you about this evening.

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

Jesus has a way of making everything about Himself.

Which, when other people do that, can be really annoying, right? Who likes it when you’re talking with somebody, and they keep bringing the subject of the conversation back to them? Like the guy who has top every story with, “Oh that’s nothing. I once did something like that but much bigger.” You know what I mean? Or people who present themselves as the answer to everyone’s problems. Politicians do that all of the time. “Vote me for me! I can solve everything.”

So we often can turned off by someone who keeps making everything about themselves.

Except, if it’s true.

If everything is about Some One Person, then it’s really important for us all to know it. And to know Him.

Our church family has been reading this book, and we’ve noticed that Jesus keeps making everything about Himself. He has all of these “I Am” statements in this books. At least seven of them where He says, “I am” and then makes a bold audacious claim.

He says, “I am the Bread of Life.”

He says, “I am the Light of the World.”

He says, “I am the Gate for the Sheep.”

He says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

He says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

And after this one, He has one more. He is going to say, “I am the True Vine.”

This is the sixth one in the Gospel According to John. Here, He says:

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

Big, if true. And I believe that it is true.

Way, Truth, Life. That’s more than just the call letters to a radio station. That’s everything isn’t it? Jesus is claiming to be the key to everything.

Notice that He does not say, “I know the way to everything. I know the truth of everything. I know where life is found.” That’s right, but that’s not what He is saying.

He is saying that He personally is the way, the truth, and the life. And that we have to know and trust Him to get to the Father.

That’s another mind-blowing thing that Jesus has been saying all throughout this little book. He says that God is His Father. That He stands in an unique relationship to God. So that God is His Father in such a way that Jesus turns out to be God, as well. That God is Triune. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Three in One. And that if you want to get to God the Father, the you have to go through God the Son, through Himself.

Wow! That’s a very exclusive claim, isn’t it? “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

That could be offensive...unless it’s true. We don’t get offended if Mr. Hughes tells us that 2+2=4.

“Well, that’s the not only way of thinking about that, right? I want 2+2 to equal 5. Let’s not be so exclusive here.”

So, we shouldn’t be surprised or offended to learn how the world truly is and Who Jesus truly is.

He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Let’s start with The Way. That word “way” means the “road” or the “path.” Like “Allport Cutoff.” That’s the way we all got here today. We all took the Cutoff. That was our “way.”

The Class of ‘24 is on your way. You are on your path. And you are all going to find your way, the path from West Branch into all kinds of places. “O, the places you will go!” And, O, the ways that you will get there!

And Jesus says in an ultimate sense He is the Way. He is the Path. He is the Road to get to God and to get to truth, and to get true life. Jesus is the Cutoff. You can’t get where you really want to go unless you take Him. You see, He doesn’t just give you the map. He is the Map. And, in fact, He is the road.

Imagine for a second if you got lost out in Pinchy. Good old Pinchatolee. Easy to do. Cell service is bad out there in the woods. Maybe your four-wheeler broke down, and you aren’t sure where you actually were, and you found a dirt road and you’re seeing where it will take you.

And Kevin Hurley drives up in that big truck of his. And he rolls down the window and says, “Do you need help?” And you admit to him that you got lost and you could use some directions.

And Kevin (who’s a big talker, we all know) says, “I could do that. I could tell you how to get to Kylertown or wherever. But I could also just take you. Hop up here, and I’ll get you home.”

If that happened, then Kevin would be your “way.” Right? Not just the map but the transportation. Your ride.

That’s what Jesus is saying about Himself! But He’s not just getting you to Kylertown. He’s getting you to God the Father Himself. And He says that are not many paths to get there. There’s just one. And it’s Him. So we need to follow and trust in Him. He’s our ride.

And He is The Truth. That means that He is ultimate reality. He is the way things really are. That’s quite a claim, isn’t it?

I hope that you have learned a lot of truth here at West Branch over the years. And how to discover what the truth is.

The scientific method, for example, for understand the laws of nature. The tools of historical research to find out what happened in the past. The fundamental rules of mathematics. And even deeper truths that you can only discover through literature and the arts.

Jesus says that when you get the bottom of all meaning and all truth, you find Him there. And He will show what is truly true. In fact, He will show you God Himself. Because He is God Himself.

In very next sentence, Jesus said, “If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him (John 14:7). There is nothing more true than that!

And He also says that He is “The Life.” Not just that He knows all about life or knows where life is. But that He is where life is. And He is what life is all about. And that He is the true source of true life. You aren’t really living unless you have Him. And if you want to live forever, you need Him.

That’s how big He goes here!

You see, Jesus is not just inspiring. I would hate if you came to your Baccalaureate and you just heard that Jesus is really inspiring. And you should find your inspiration in Him. No, Jesus is The Life. And you should make your life about Him. And you should find your life in Him.

That’s why He came. That’s why He was sent. The most famous sentence in the Gospel of John isn’t this one in chapter 14, it’s this one in chapter 3, verse 16.

“For God so loved the world [that’s you and me] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16 NIVO).

God the Father gave His Son, Jesus, so that if we believe in Him, we get eternal life. Because He is The Life.

Big, if true! And I believe it is.

In turns out, that we get this life because of His death. Jesus knew what was coming for Him in just a few short hours. The pain, the shame, the torture, the death. The Bible says that He went through all that because He was taking on our sin for us. The way He became the way was through the Cross. The truth is that He became sin for us and bore the penalty for our sins (2 see Corinthians 5:21). And it was through His death that we get life.

Because He came back to life. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. That’s in chapter 20 of the Gospel According to John. Check it out for yourself. He was so much “The Life” that He couldn’t stay dead!

And what’s even more amazing is that He offers Himself to us all today. You see the annoying people who make everything about themselves, are normally looking out for themselves, too. But Jesus gives Himself to all who will come to Him. He is all of this. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He offers all of that to us if we will put our trust and faith in Him.

It is an exclusive offer. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” But we can all be included in this exclusive offer. Everyone who comes through Jesus gets to the Father.

Jesus makes everything about Himself because everything is about Him!

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Do you believe that? I don’t expect that everyone here is there yet. But everyone here is invited to hop on for the ride.

West Branch Class of ‘24, may the Lord bless you in all of your future endeavors.

We shall be watching to see all of the amazing places you go and all of the amazing things you do as you drive off from 444 Allport Cutoff.

But wherever you go and whatever you do, you’ve got to decide for yourself whether or not you believe what Jesus told Thomas on that fateful night.

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

***

Previous West Branch Baccalaureate Messages

June 2, 2005 "Don't Waste Your Life"

June 7, 2012 "Three Things I Pray"

May 31, 2020 "Certainties"

“I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” [Matt's Messages]

5/26/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 1 comment

“I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

May 26, 2024 :: John 13:18-38

Jesus knew.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him that very night.

We talked about this the last few times. John chapter 13 begins with the wordsJohn chapter 13 begins with the words, “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love” (13:1). And He washed their feet.

Verse 3 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God” (13:3).

Jesus knew!

John the gospel-writer wants to us know that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to Him that dark night before His death. None of this was a surprise, and in fact, all of this was a part of the plan. Jesus was choosing all of this. He was going into it with open eyes.

And verse 19 says that Jesus not only knew what was going to happen, but Jesus told His disciples what was going to happen ahead of time. Look at verse 19, where our title for today’s message comes from. Verse 19.

“I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”

Jesus knew the future, and He predicted the future so that His disciples might believe. There’s that word again! Jesus is always working to build our faith in Him. Believe!

Knowing the future should make a big difference, shouldn’t it? Our graduating seniors have made some big plans for their futures. You can read about their accomplishments and their hopes for the future in the back of your bulletin. And it’s exciting to see what might be!

But they don’t know exactly what will happen to them. They don’t know the future. And they probably understand that better than many of the rest of us did when we graduated because these seniors were freshmen in 2020 when covid hit and upended all of our lives so unexpectedly. They know that they don’t know the future.

But Jesus did know the future. He knew the details. And He told His disciples some of the dark details before it happened. So that they would file it away and when it came pass exactly as Jesus said, they were not thrown for a loop but instead believed.

“I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”

Those last words are “ego eimi” in the Greek, “I am” which has, as we’ve seen before (8:24, 8:28, 8:588:58) a least hints of Jesus’ divinity. He is the I Am. He is all that He claimed to be.

And because He accurately predicted the future, His disciples would believe in Him.

In today’s passage, I see at least four things that Jesus predicted were going to happen to Him that should build our faith and direct our steps in 2024. Four things Jesus knew and told His disciples in advance that make all of the difference for us today. Here’s the first one. “I’m telling you now before it happens...”

#1. I WILL BE BETRAYED.

What a terrible thing to know was coming.

Again, this is the very night before His crucifixion. Jesus and his twelve hand-picked disciples are having an intimate dinner together in the upper room of a home in Jerusalem. They are reclining around a low table in the center of the room like spokes on a wheel. And Jesus has just gotten up, dressed down like a slave, and washed and dried all 24 of their stinky feet. Shocking!

Everybody is unsettled. There is tension in the room. Outside of the four walls, there were people that hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. Inside of the room, there was an agent of Satan at the table with our Savior.

The other disciples didn’t know that, but Jesus knew.

He has just told them that not all of them are clean. Their feet are all clean, but one of their hearts has not been washed. They were going to be blessed if they washed feet like He did. But not all of them will be blessed. Look at verse 18.

“‘I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'”

That’s Psalm 41. I call it the “The Song of the Sick King.” It was written by King David one thousand years earlier when David had been personally betrayed by an intimate friend. And that set up a predictive pattern that was going to be repeated and fulfilled in Great David’s Greatest Son.

Jesus would be betrayed by an intimate friend. Somebody He had eaten with in close fellowship was going to turn his heel towards Jesus as he walked out on him or even raised up his heel to stomp on Jesus as he betrayed Him.

This was going to shock his disciples, but it did not shock Jesus. He knew. And He wanted them to know He knew. Verse 19.

“‘I am telling you now before [this stomping] happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.’”

That’s what’s really important. To believe. To accept or receive Jesus. Because then you get Jesus and you get God the Father who sent His Son!

What’s important is receiving Jesus by faith (John 1:12!). But not everybody does. And don’t be surprised by that.

In just a few short hours, everything is going to seem to fall apart. It’s going to feel like the world is ending. But the opposite is actually true. Things are proceeding according to plan. Things predicted a thousand years before are coming together on that dark night so that the plan is on track.

It is going to be terrible! Look and see how it makes Jesus feel. Look at verse 21.

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’”

We’ve seen this language of “troubled in spirit” before. That’s how Jesus felt at the tomb of Lazarus. When His friend had died. Remember how He cried? “Jesus wept.”

That’s how Jesus is feeling about what is going to happen to Him. He’s not stoic about this betrayal. He’s not like, “Whatever. I didn’t care anyway.” This guts Him. This bothers Him. This hurts Him. He just washed their feet! And now He says, “I’ve gotta tell you guys something. One of you is going to betray me.” It troubles Jesus, but it does not surprise Him.

It does surprise His disciples. Look at verse 22.

“His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. [“I’ve got no idea. Who would do that?” V.23] One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask him which one he means.’ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’”

I love the vivid details of this story. How they stare at one another. Everybody is looking at everybody else, and nobody has a clue (except Jesus, and Judas of course).

And John calls one of them, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” which is a beautiful description of how he felt. He just felt so loved by Jesus. Of course, Jesus loved all of them (v.1 said so), but this one disciple felt particularly beloved, a special bond. And we will find out later which one He was (hint, his named begins with J-O-H-N).

He’s on the cot right next to Jesus, and Simon Peter gives him the little nod. You know how men talk to each other in nods? Peter gives him the nod. “Ask [Jesus] which one he means.”

And the beloved disciples leans back against Jesus so they are really close and basically whispering to each other, “Lord, who is it?” Verse 26.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.”

Jesus knows.

And now the beloved disciple knows. Nobody else knows, not yet. Everybody else assumes it can’t be Judas because he was just honored by the Master by being hand-fed the sop by Jesus Himself. But Jesus knows.

And just as the bread entered Judas, so did Satan. V.27

“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.”

What a terrible thing to read. What a terrible to know.

This disciple of Jesus was now fully a disciple of Satan and was going to return that very night with a detachment of soldiers to arrest our Lord.

You see, Judas did not surprise Jesus.

If anything, Jesus surprised Judas! Because look what He says to him. Verse 27.

‘What you are about to do, do quickly,’ Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. [Remember Judas earlier this week had made a big deal about selling the perfume to help the poor. What a champion of the poor! No, he was a champion of himself. But only Jesus knew it. So he sent him on his way. V.30] As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night” (vv.27-30).

It sure was.

What an ominous note. Things were dark. Things were bleak. Jesus was going to be betrayed by an intimate friend. But He was not going to be surprised. And He told them in advance, so they would, in time, believe.

I think this is helpful for us in many ways. First of all, just that Jesus knows what it’s like to be betrayed. If you have never been betrayed, just wait. It will probably happen to you. And when it does, it will hurt a lot.

Jesus understands what that feels like. He lived it out like nobody else ever has. He even knew in advance that it was happening, and He couldn’t (or wouldn’t) stop it from happening, but it was part of what had to happen for Him to fulfill the Father’s mission for Him and to save us from our sins. So He knows what it’s like. He can sympathize and walk alongside you as you go through the pain of betrayal yourself.

I think it’s also helpful because it reminds us that God’s plan is still on track even when it feels like it’s going off the rails. When the disciples find out that Judas–the guy they trusted with their money!–has sold out Jesus, they will be tempted to despair and to think that everything is lost. It was night-time for the disciples in every way. So so dark. And yet the Light of the World shines in the darkness!

Heather and I have some very close friends who are going through a very dark thing right now. And sometimes all I can say as we walk with them is, “The Lord knows.”

“The Lord knows.” And we know He knows because He told us before it happens.

It was night time, but the light shines brightest in the darkness. And that’s what He tells them next. “I am telling you now before it happens...”

#2. I WILL BE GLORIFIED.

Verse 31. “When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once” (v.31-32).

Judas leaves the room, and the temperature changes. It’s just Jesus and the Eleven now. And Jesus can open Himself up even more. The teaching will go deeper than it ever has. And Jesus says that it’s time for Him (not only to be betrayed but) to be glorified. And to be glorified by being betrayed!

This glorification comes through His crucifixion. Remember, He is going to be lifted up. Lifted up on a pole! Like a snake in the wilderness. But lifted up! Glorified. Bringing glory to Himself and to His Father. By completing the deadly mission on which He was sent.

Do you see the circle of glorification?

“Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”

The Son gets the glory.

The Father gets the glory in the Son.

The Son gets the glory in the Father.

In a perfect unending circle, and it’s all going down now!

And the darkness can’t stop it. In fact, the darkness has to enable it. The Cross is the darkest thing that ever happened in human history. And it is the brightest!

Isn’t that wonderful for us today?! Isn’t it wonderful to know that God can take the darkest night ever and make it the brightest?! That God can take the worst most bloody suffering ever and make it the greatest blessing?!

And that no matter what happens, the Son gets the glory, gives the glory to His Father, who gives the glory to the Son, gives the glory to the Father, gives the glory to the Son, (and starting in next chapter, gives the glory to the Spirit, all three in one) forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. Amen?!

He told us before it happens so that we would believe.

For the Son of Man to be glorified, He had to go away. This next portion of Scripture, from right here to the end of chapter 16, is often called “The Farewell Teaching” because Jesus begins to say, “Goodbye.” Verse 33.

“‘My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.”

He’s telling them in advance that He’s going away. He knows it, and He is telling them what to expect before it happens. And how to behave when He’s gone. Verse 34.

“‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’” (vv.34-35).

I hope these words are very familiar to you. This is our theme for the year as a church family. Jenni has them on the bulletin board in the center of the foyer. We’re going to memorize them together for the next several months.

I taught on these two verses four months ago on Vision Sunday. Let’s read them together once again to remind ourselves what our Lord Jesus commands us:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Three times in two verses Jesus tells us to love one another. It must be important!

He says it’s a “new” command. What’s new about it? God’s people have always been commanded to love. The Israelites were supposed to love their neighbors (Leviticus 19:18). But this says to love one another. So it’s a command to love our fellow disciples, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

But I think the real newness is not so much who to love but how to love. We are now being called to love (v.34) as Jesus has loved us. There’s a new standard. As the choir just sang, we love because he first loved us.

Jesus has shown us how to love one another. And it is a high standard that involves going low. Just minutes before this, Jesus had gone around the circle washing their feet. He showed them how to love by serving them in humility.

Love isn’t just words or feelings. It’s actions. It’s putting someone else’s needs before your own. It’s laying down your life, often a little bit at a time. Our Lord Jesus calls us to love one another just as He has loved us. Let’s make that number three. “I am telling you now before it happens...

#3. I WILL BE IMITATED.

“You must love another as I have loved you.” It is imperative.

How are we doing at this? Let me read to you some things I said to you four months ago on January 28th because they are all still true and still needed.

On Vision Sunday, I pointed out that our church family had grown. We had been exceptionally blessed in 2023 with growth in attendance. Up 12% from the year before to an average of 142 people per Sunday. But it was more than that because the same people don’t come every Sunday. We had counted 293 different people who came at least one Sunday in 2023 and 235 people who came quite regularly.

This year, attendance has grown even more. In 2024, we are averaging about 161 people every Sunday. (Another 9% growth so far.)

And that’s wonderful, praise God! But it also means that we have to work even harder to build a loving community here, doesn’t it? Because “More people, more problems. More sinners, more sin.” Right?

“Love” sounds wonderful until you actually have to do it.

So four months ago, we talked about doing all the “one anothers.” Right? Knowing one another (using the church directory), greeting one another (and not just our friends or the people we always greet), welcoming one another, praying for one another (maybe over the back of the pew), showing hospitality to one another, eating with one another, forgiving one another, bearing with and being patient with one another, exhorting one another, speaking the truth to one another.

That’s hard work! How are we doing at all of that as a church family in 2024? This is a good time to check in and take our own pulse.

How are we doing at loving one another as Jesus loved us?

How are you doing at that?

What is going well?

What do you need to change?

Because the world desperately needs to see us imitate our Lord in this way!

On January 28th, I said this:

“We get to love another in ‘24. And when we do, the world will have to sit up and take notice.

There is a great need and opportunity for Christian love in our nation and world right now.

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed it or not, but it looks like it’s another national election year in America. [I thought we just did that!]

And it looks downright divisive once again. Will those [who] name the name of Christ be known for their love in 2024?

We have in this room Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Non-Voters–all Christians. We will love one another in ‘24?

Will the world see the Christians loving each other [and] say to themselves, “What is going on over there? I want some of that. Those people are really different from one another. And they disagree. Maybe strongly. And yet they obviously are loving one another.”

...

There is an epidemic of loneliness in our society right now. There’s all kinds of causes for that. But whatever they are, it’s out there.

People are lonely.

They may be “connected,” through social media, to more people than ever but they feel disconnected. They feel alone.

What an opportunity we have to BE FAMILY for those folks!

So that we can all sing, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.”

As we enfold people into our church family, we are honoring Jesus.

We are acting as His disciples. ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

By this! Not by what we proclaim about ourselves on our social media.

Not by our bumper stickers. But by how we treat one another.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That’s what I said on January 28th. How are we doing at this on May 26th? How are we doing at imitating our Lord?

If somebody looked at your life today, would they say, “Wow. That guy, that gal, sure is loving? They sure know how to serve their fellow Christians. They have picked up their basin and their towel. They sure act like Jesus.”

Let me just say, as your pastor, that I am very proud of you in this way. I see this as a very loving church family, and I see you stepping up to obey this new command every single day, especially when we gather together on Sundays.

Don’t stop. Don’t coast. We have much work to be done. Love does not come easy. It is hard work to do the “one-anothers.” But we are at it. I am so proud to be the pastor of Lanse Free Church. There is no other church family that I love more.

I believe the world can look at this bunch here and say, “They are Jesus’ disciples. Look at how they love one another.” Thank you. Well done, you.

Tomorrow, on Memorial Day, we will stop what we’re doing and thank God for those who acted like Jesus (whether they knew it or not) and gave their lives for others. Those servicemen and women served our nation by laying down their lives for their countrymen.

How are you and I each doing at laying down our lives for one another in the family of God? Love is supposed to be the distinguishing mark of the Christian. Verse 35.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus says, “I will be imitated.”

And that extends even to our following Him in death. Point number four. “I am telling you now before it happens...”

#4. I WILL BE FOLLOWED.

But not at first. Jesus’ disciple, Peter, has missed what Jesus was saying about all this love stuff, because he got stuck on what Jesus had said in verse 33.

“You’re going away?” Verse 36. “Simon Peter asked him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.’ Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” (vv.36-38).

Jesus knew. Jesus knew that He was going to be betrayed. And He knew that He was going to be denied. He was going to be disowned by Peter himself. Three times before the rooster was done crowing, this coming morning!

Peter had way too high an estimation of himself. His instincts were good. He wanted the right thing at that moment. But his self-confidence was too high. “Oh yeah, I’ll do that.”

Jesus knew that Peter was not going to lay down his life for Jesus. It was the other way around. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was going to lay down his life for Peter. And for you and me.

Have you put your faith in what Jesus did for you on that Cross?

Jesus knew what was going to happen in just a few hours. He was going to lay down his life for our sins. And then in three days, He was going to take it back up again to give us life forever.

Jesus knew that Peter was not going to follow Him that day. But He says in verse 36 that, one day, Peter would follow Him. Peter will get a chance, down the line, to put his life down on the line for Jesus. He will follow Jesus. Because Peter will believe in who Jesus truly is. Jesus told us this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, we will believe.

Kailyn, Kevin, Zane, Addison, on this Graduation Sunday, here’s my pastoral counsel for you. (And it’s true for all of us here today, as well.)

Believe in Jesus! Believe that He is all that He said that He was. Because He obviously knew the future. He knew Who He was. And He knew what was going happen to Him.

He was going to be betrayed.

He was going to be denied and disowned.

He was going to be crucified.

He was going to be glorified!

And because of His sacrifice, we can be saved. And we can love one another. We can love like He loved. Painfully. Love is painful. If we are doing it right, it will sometimes hurt. It will sometimes feel like death. It will sometimes actually be our death to love one another. But it will be worth it all because the whole world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples if we love one another.

And follow Jesus even to death.

Because He is worth it.

His plan was not derailed.

His death was not the end.

The darkness did not win.

The Son of Man was glorified and God is glorified in Him. We believe!