The Gospel of John - part 34
preached August 4, 2009
Provisions for Today and for Eternity
The Way, the Truth, the Life
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:1-6
The chapter opens with a summary statement that you should highlight in your Bible. “Believe in God, believe also in me.” The Greek is slightly ambiguous which allows for a few different renderings, but all the renderings bring us to the same truth—If we trust in God, we can trust in Jesus. The remaining chapter explains this point: the Father and Son are One, and God has made provision for us in this life and the next. The main provision is that He will send His Spirit, which we will read about in a bit.
However, these verses about the greatest hope we have as Christians. Now, when I use the word ‘hope’, I do not mean the kind of hope people have who play the lottery. Sure, I hope to win the lottery, but it would help if I played the lottery. But, even if I played every week, I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice. Maybe one day I will earn the nickname ‘Sparky’, but I hope not. No, when the Bible talks about Christian hope, it is an assured hope. It is hope based on the pile of evidence of God’s fulfilled promises. It’s based on verse 1–I need not be troubled, because I believe God.
True hope is knowing God is in control of Heaven and Earth.
Jesus has already proven Himself to be the Messiah, so we know He speaks for the Father. So, when He says He is going to prepare a place for us, we can rest in the assured hope that He does just that. Thomas asks the question, “How can we know the way?” It is a question that not enough people are asking these days. Typically, people just figure God thinks like they do, so it’ll work out fine. But Jesus gives us a clear answer to the question: He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Jesus is the Way to Heaven.
He is the Way—there is no other way to Heaven, because He is the Only Begotten Son of God. There is no other way, because there is no other Messiah, no other Begotten Son. Christians are often chided for being ‘exclusive’, but it is not about us knowing better than everyone else, it is about who Christ is and what Christ revealed. In fact, Christianity grew exponentially in the first millennia because Christ is open to everyone—Christianity is actually very inclusive. Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved...but you do have to call on Jesus.
Jesus is the Truth of God and Creation.
He is the Truth. There is One God who created Heaven and Earth. There is One Son who came to earth to dwell among men and reveal the nature and love of God. Jesus is the Truth, because He is the One who reveals Truth. Satan has lied to humanity and continues to lie to humanity. It is only through Jesus that God reveals the truth, because as just stated, He is the Only Begotten Son.
Jesus is the Life and only source of life.
He is the Life. The One who creates is the One Source for all life. Jesus is the Son and the One by whom all Creation exists. He is the One who gives eternal life, because He is the Only One who can give life. If there is only One Creator (and there is), then of course only the Creator can give life. And, again, there is only One Begotten Son of the Creator, so there is only one way to eternal life. The modern world struggles deeply with this notion, but that is a symptom of the varied lies that permeate our world. Objective reality does exist. There is a truth beyond each of us, and if there is one Truth, then that leaves all other options as lies.
Connected to the Father through the Son
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:7-14
Now, the previous passage is quite famous—rightfully so. It is commonly preached it at funerals, because it’s a beautiful reminder that Jesus doesn’t just provide moral teachings, He prepares us for Heaven, and Heaven for us. However, these next verses supplement how we know Jesus is telling us the truth. We know the Father, because we know the Son. For those who have surrendered to Christ and experienced the new birth Jesus offers, we have a direct connection to God. We will see in a bit how God indwells us, but for now Jesus is teaching the absolute connection between Son and Father. Although you will not find the word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible, it is the word we use to describe how the Father, Son, and Spirit are One in Three persons. The Son perfectly reveals the Father because they are both God but in different persons.
The way Jesus has proven His Divinity is through the works He has done. The miracles Jesus did proved His claim to be One with the Father. Which, if you think about it, should someone claim to be God, we would say they were crazy. But, if the same person was able to turn water to wine, walk on water, multiply bread and fish, raise the dead, and the many other miracles Jesus did, then we would have to say He was, in fact, telling the truth!
Jesus’ works prove His connection to the Father.
But, here’s the kicker: for those who trust in Christ, we are told we will do the works Jesus does. Now, as modern American Baptists, this verse usually makes us nervous. Our Pentecostal brothers don’t have the same hang-ups. So let’s look for a second at this passage.
The key word is mezona. In the ESV and many translations, it is rendered ‘greater’. Jesus says we will do the same works and even greater works. Now, many young people have read this verse and tried to walk on water. I’m sure some kid out there has even tried to turn water to wine. But, I don’t know of anyone who has been successful. Perhaps, they’ve missed something. What they missed is mezona means ‘greater’, but it could be greater as in “more significant” or “larger number or size”. It is probably better to understand that Jesus is telling us His work is multiplied in us in that there are more disciples than Messiah.
Think of it this way: Jesus’ identity as Messiah, the Only Begotten Son of God, is proven by His miracles. If Jesus was saying we would do the same exact miracles, then we would be identifying ourselves as Messiah. That’s why you can’t walk on water. The miracles that we can do, and I do believe miracles are very possible, are those that point people to Jesus. That’s why verse 13 says “whatever we ask in His name”. If I am praying in the Name of Jesus, and I am asking the Father in the Name of Jesus for a miracle, and that miracle is demonstrating the glory of God not my own, then it is far more likely I will receive that miracle. Thus, Jesus concludes with “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Our works prove our connection to Jesus.
Now, here’s the sticky part, because this verse has been mutilated in the last century by heresy. Verse 14 is not a license for voodoo. Since we are several miles north of Louisiana, you may be unfamiliar with how voodoo works. Let me explain. Voodoo is a Caribbean religion that is famous in New Orleans thanks to being a port city—especially during the slave trade. It developed from a combination of African folk religions coupled with occult practices and a sprinkling of other religions. It even borrows some elements from Christianity just for good measure. But, the principle of voodoo is pretty simple—given the right incantations and ritual, you can make just about anything happen. There’s even a process for raising the dead which every James Bond fan saw in Live and Let Die. The ‘Word of Faith’ movement is simply a form of voodoo that says if you think something hard enough, pray hard enough, and declare what you want, it will happen regardless how God feels about it. Never mind growing in godliness and righteousness when you can make God give you what you want like a spoiled kid.
So, if this verse does not mean I can pray myself into a new car, what does it mean? It is telling us how we know we are connected to the Father, and how we know we are going to the place God has prepared for us when we pass from this earth. It is how we know that when Jesus returns, we will find ourselves among the sheep and not the goats. Jesus spent His life glorifying the Father through the miracles and works He did. If we devote our lives to the same mission, then we will find ourselves doing the same works as Christ. But, it will not be for our benefit, it will be for the glory of God!
John 14:13 is not a license for voodoo, it is confirmation of the power of Christ in us to glorify God.
And let’s consider what glorifies God most in today’s world.
In a world filled with selfish, greedy narcissists, is God glorified with our expensive cars, purses, houses, or any other material possession? Or, is God more glorified by a content heart satisfied by the peace that comes with freedom from the slavery of materialism—whether by debt or by wealth?
In a world filled with failed marriages and broken children, is God really glorified by me “living my best life”? Or, perhaps God is more glorified by the self-sacrificing love required to build a stable home, filled with the righteousness of Christ, that cares for and teaches children what it means to be faithful to one spouse for life.
In a world filled with power-hungry, lying, overly ambitious, war-mongering profiteers, is God glorified by me asking for promotions and power? Or, perhaps, God is more glorified when I pray for my daily bread and keep my eyes on the prize of salvation.
Is God glorified by my prayers to build my own personal kingdom, or is He more glorified when I pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to fill the earth, that His will be done here as it is in Heaven?
Too many Christians have been taken in by this nonsense of “But Jesus said ‘whatever’!” He also says that to love Jesus is obey Jesus, and the world will know us by our love for one another, not by what we drive or own, or how much influence we have over people. Do not try to mask your selfishness in bad spiritualism. It is a mockery of our Lord who gave His life for you!
To Love Jesus is to Obey Jesus
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
John 14:15-24
Here we have John’s summary of the Holy Spirit. John, in his Gospel and his letters, does not spend much time on the Holy Spirit. In First John, as in here, the Holy Spirit’s primary function is to point us to Jesus. It is by God’s Spirit that we know the truth and we live in that truth.
In verse 17, we read the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us. If we think back to Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus, we will remember that the new birth occurs when the Spirit gives us new life. It is this transformation that Ezekiel prophesied when the Lord says through him, “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone and will give them a heart of flesh” (Ez. 11:19).
The Holy Spirit in us is fulfillment of Ezekiel 11:19.
By this transformation, we know we are in the Father because we are in Jesus who is in the Father. Look again at verse 20 and see the connection. Think of it like those cute little Russian dolls. The Father is the big one. Inside Him is the Son, Jesus. We are inside Jesus, and then notice what He says at the end, “I in you.” Is Jesus in us, or the Holy Spirit? YES. This is what we mean by ‘Trinity’. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are One in essence and being, though they manifest in three persons which in role and in language are separate. How should we compare God? Well, we can’t, because there is nothing like our God. Some have used a triangle, eggs, apples, clovers, and fire. Analogies can be helpful, but they all fall short in some way. But, ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit that indwells believers and empowers believers to live the life God has designed us to live.
The Holy Spirit indwells believers and empowers them to live the life God has designed us to live.
But, before we press on, look at the warning in verse 24. “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” Now, at first glance it may not seem like a warning, but look at how this section is bookended. It begins with, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This is not a guilt trip, it is a statement of fact. Those who love Jesus, love Him because He first loved us. If we love Him, it is because of what He has done for us, and we believe in who He is. If we believe He is the Son of God, who gives eternal life, then we believe He gives us His Spirit so that we have been born again, can see the Kingdom of God, and have a new heart of flesh. All this points us to obedience, because He is removing sin from us. He is making us a new creation. We are compelled by His love and the eternal life we experience to obey. If we are trying to keep His commands without experiencing the new birth, then we are attempting to do the impossible, and we will not love Jesus. On the contrary, we will resent Him. That is why some have fallen away from the faith. They were never faithful to begin with. It is only through the Holy Spirit we have new life and can be faithful to the call of being Christian.
Christians can only persevere in faith because of the Holy Spirit.
Provision of Peace
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
John 14:25-31
In this final section, Jesus once again states that He is leaving the disciples, but He will leave them a Helper. The Helper, now named the Holy Spirit, is going to teach and remind the disciples Jesus’ teachings. But the Holy Spirit is also the avenue through which Jesus can say He leaves us peace. It is not as the world gives, because it is an everlasting peace. It is the peace that comes from the presence of God in our hearts and lives.
So, once again Jesus tells us to not be afraid. Why should we not fear?
He is present with us through the Holy Spirit
He is preparing a place for us in Heaven
He has told us ahead of time the trials that will come
The ruler of this world may come, but he has no hold on Jesus
The first point has been explained throughout this chapter. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit working in perfect Unity as the One Godhead. It is God who created us, God who saves us, and God who lives in us. To be a Christian is not to follow someone who died on a cross 2000 years ago, it is to follow the Risen Savior who takes up residence in our hearts to make us a new creation and keep us for all the days of our lives and into eternity.
Secondly, just as the Lord remakes us and provides peace for this world, even more so will He prepare a place for us in Heaven for when the time comes. To be absent in this world is to be present with Christ. For the believer in Christ, death is not the loss of life but the fulfillment of eternal life.
Third, and I think this is the point that most Christians have forgotten, Jesus has warned us what will take place. Here, He is talking about the crucifixion. Elsewhere, in the Synoptics and in later chapters, Jesus warns us of the trials and tribulations that will fall on His people. In the last days, there will be a growing dread and evil in the world, because Satan knows his time is ending. It will be like birth pangs. Now, for those of you with children, you know the months leading up to a birth can be troubling for the mother, but that last day of delivery is a doozy. For a relatively short term in Christianity, there was this idea that the world was going to get better and better until Jesus returned. After two World Wars, that idea has been pretty well dumped by theologians. What is testified in Scripture, and what makes more sense when your eyes are open, is that as the Gospel continues to spread throughout the world, Satan will continue to rail against Christians until the time Jesus returns. That means we should not be surprised when lost people act like lost people, Satan acts like Satan, and Christians find themselves at odds with a lost and dying world. The only thing that surprises me is the number of people who call themselves ‘Christian’, but fail to understand the basic tenets of our faith—such as, we are not meant to be like everyone else, we are meant to be like Jesus.
Which leads us to the last point. Satan is a defeated foe. He lost his fight when Jesus went to Calvary and came out of the tomb on Sunday morning. As Christians, we are not fighting a superior force, we are fighting guerrilla devils who use fear tactics to keep Christians from being an effective witness to the Gospel of Christ. Do not fall for his trap! Lean on the Holy Spirit and recognize this truth: “He has no claim on me”. Satan has no claim on Jesus, so if you are in Jesus, then he has no claim on you either. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”