John 14:1-14: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

So we continue our series this morning on the identity of Jesus, who Jesus reveals himself to be.

And we began the first week.

Pastor Mike spoke on Jesus revealing himself to be the bread of life.

Last week we looked at Jesus' I Am statement that he is the good shepherd.

And then this morning we're going to look at Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

And so would you uh read with me from chapter 14 of John's Gospel, verses 1 through 14?

Hear now the reading of God's holy word.

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, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

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 that 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 the Father, 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.

Let's pray.

Oh Father, we thank you for these words.

We thank you for the gift of the revelation of our Lord hearing these words.

And yet, Lord, we ask and we pray that your Holy Spirit we please to minister to us, to open up the eyes of our hearts this morning, so that we may we may see this invitation to us afresh, and that we may know that you are indeed the way, the truth, and the life.

So we ask and we pray all these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, I wonder if you have a vivid memory of a loved one's departure.

Uh a vivid memory of a loved one's departure.

Perhaps it's uh in the form of someone coming to visit.

You know, you've had family members come and stay, you've had a good time together, and then it's time to pack up the suitcases, to get stuff out the door, and and they and they pack up the car or they head to the airport and and they go and they depart, and you say your goodbyes.

Perhaps it's a teen leaving from home.

Um their time has come to go to college or to begin working, and and uh and so they get ready to go off.

And whether you're the parent or you're the child, there's a departure for both of you.

Or it could be a friend leaving or a family member, a loved one leaving on an extended work trip, or friends leaving for the mission field.

We have all faced departures.

And uh we face them in some many forms or and things like that, but but I think the thing to take away, I think, from departures is they're often hard, aren't they?

We don't like having to say goodbye.

And I say that because uh it gives us a little bit of an idea into some of the context that we have here, this dynamic that's going on between Jesus and the disciples at this very point.

Uh Jesus is beginning to prepare his disciples for the day that he is going to depart from them, and they won't see him anymore.

And so he was about to be arrested.

He was later to go and be crucified on the cross, and after that, he would rise again and ascend to heaven to be with the Father.

And so he's preparing his disciples for these events that are about to unfold.

And the reality of this is not easy for them to stomach.

Judas was told that he would predicted, Judas was predicted that he would betray Jesus.

And then Peter, in the context, just before these verses that we read of this morning, is told that he would go on to deny Jesus.

And so you can imagine the company of the disciples here, having heard this news, even about Peter, that if Peter is the outgoing one, if Peter's the courageous one, if he's the one who's kind of always putting his foot forward first, what does that say about us?

What does it say about our future?

What does it say about what we will do?

What are we to do?

And all this leads to Jesus revealing that he is the way, the truth, and the life.

And so, in light of that, I think there are three things in particular that believe Jesus would have us to know and understand in revealing himself this way.

And the first this morning is that Jesus wants you to know that he is the way home.

He wants you to know that he is the way home.

We read that in verses one through three.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house there 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 to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Okay, so what Jesus is saying here is, I understand that you have troubles, I understand that you have fears, I understand that you have a troubled heart, but take your focus off these things for a moment and direct them toward who I am.

Because it's important to note here that Jesus is not advocating a form of uh psychological escapism.

He's not advocating for some Pollyanish disposition, nor is he suggesting that they just uh harden up and get over it.

Yes, their hearts are troubled, and they had good reason to be troubled.

But what they needed in the moment is true belief, a true hold on God, no matter what they may face.

And the truth is that when troubles come our way, when we face troubles in our life, we can often be inclined, can't we, to begin to fixate on the trouble itself.

All right, we have a situation come up and we start to lock in on what that trouble is.

We tend to fixate on them.

And as a result, they become they tend to become bigger and bigger in our apprehension.

Uh, they take up more of our mental space.

And and being allowed to run their course, we can become increasingly anxious and even despairing about the troubles that confront us.

All the while, our apprehension of God becomes smaller and smaller and takes back seat.

And that's really what's at the heart of all of this.

We all face troubles.

Uh disappointment, for example, is an example of a trouble.

Disappointment with myself, uh, disappointment with my inabilities, disappointment with others, disappointment in the form of circumstances, poverty, or overburdening work.

And the question that goes begging is where is this headed?

What do I do?

Will I be cared for?

And the answer that Jesus gives is believe God, believe also in me.

He's not asking them to do something, he's asking them to believe.

Jesus says, No, believe me.

This is about belief.

And so what Jesus is helping us to understand here is that troubles will come, troubles will go, and they may cause us to be unsettled, but in the midst of a troubled heart, he is the only one who remains constant and chain and unchanging in nature.

And so when life is shaking, when things are coming undone, when disappointments come knocking at the door, Jesus is saying, I got you.

I've got you.

I will hold you fast, I will see you through to the end.

And so Jesus here begins to stoke the hope and the belief of the disciples by revealing his plan to go ahead of them.

He says, in effect, guys, my father has rooms in his house.

He has real estate.

And so my plan is to go ahead of you, and I'm gonna prepare a place for you in his house.

And I'll come back and I'll bring you to be with me, so that where I am you will be also.

If the disciples were in an airport, they would be directed to walk away from the departure's lounge to the arrival section of the terminal.

Alright?

Because Jesus would have them to have hope.

And hope is a powerful, powerful thing.

The Apostle Paul speaks to this later, saying, We who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we are saved.

Now, hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Jesus would have us to secure an anchor of hope on what lies before us.

He has gone ahead of us to prepare.

The desires within us are there to tell us that we were made for something more, that we are travelers in this life looking for something final, something complete, something like an eternal home.

And it's a profoundly cheering thought to think of Jesus being at the arrival section of heaven, at the arrival lounge of heaven, waiting for all of his own to finally arrive.

And um, you know, it got me thinking of the lengths that parents will often go to in order for uh in order to prepare for their child's arrival.

And uh what do they do?

Well, they focus on their room oftentimes, don't they?

I mean, they'll they'll get to working on the room, they'll spend great lengths of time organizing the room, or if they've got junk in the room, they'll take it out and then they'll start assembling a crib and things like that.

And they may even get to decorating, but all of this is to prepare for the arrival of this child that's about to come.

Likewise, Jesus has gone before us in his preparing rooms.

He wants you to know that he is the way home.

And he wants you to know that when all is said and done, everything will be okay.

That in some way that we can't always understand in this life, all of the things, all of the troubles we will have faced will have been worth it.

He wants you to know he's the way home.

Secondly, he wants you to know the truth about how to get there.

The disciples, uh beginning at this point to display signs of hope, uh, show their confusion about how to get to the Father.

And they want, they they want to get to the destination, but they don't know how.

And so Peter asks, uh Thomas asks, Philip asks, all in their own way, like, how do we get there?

We want to get there.

And so Jesus gives them an itinerary.

He gives them an itinerary.

Most of us have had an itinerary before, right?

It's something that tells us or shows us where our route to get to our destination, how we're gonna get there, what way do we need to travel?

And so Jesus, in effect, is saying this I am your itinerary.

And the route that I have you on is into the Father's presence.

You're all the thing is, you're already on the route.

Now, notice how many times the Lord Jesus speaks about the Father.

He's always pointing to his father as his son, always pointing toward his father, all throughout the passage.

Until at one point Philip says, Lord, show us the Father, and it's enough for us.

And Jesus replies to him at that point.

He says, Have I been with you so long, Philip?

And you still do not know me?

He's saying, Philip, it's not enough just to be around me.

I want you to know me.

I want you to know me.

I want you to know my heart because I want you to see that I am the spitting image of my father.

I have my father's heart.

We are one.

I am the exact imprint of my father's nature.

When you know me, you know the father, because the father dwells in me and does his work.

I want you to know that in knowing me you also know the father also.

Likewise, when you love me, you love the father.

And so he says, the way to know the father is through me.

I am the way, he says.

You see, the gospel says you have an elder brother.

And Jesus Christ is that elder brother who is sent by the Father to reconcile you to him.

And there's only one who could do it.

Christianity is the most inclusive religion, in that it says, all may come.

And yet, in another sense, it's the most exclusive in that it says, the only way that salvation can come is by the way of one.

And that isn't Jesus Christ alone.

I am the way.

And so there's only one who could do what needed to be done to bring us to the Father.

Jesus needed to assume a human nature for us to see and to know the Father.

But he also needed to be divine to take us to the Father.

And that required his death.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote a story about a father and his teenage son.

In the story, the uh relationship had become somewhat strained.

And the teenage son ends up running away from home.

And his father began a journey in search of that rebellious son.

Finally, in Madrid, Spain, in a last desperate attempt to find the boy, the father put an ad in the local newspaper.

The ad read, Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon.

All is forgiven.

I love you, your father.

The next day in front of the newspaper office, the father was unprepared for what he saw.

Eight hundred Pacos showed up.

They were all seeking forgiveness.

They were all seeking the love of their father.

Friends, what that tells us, or what it confirms to us, is that the deepest desire that we have been given as children made in the image of God is love.

The love of our Father.

The love of our Heavenly Father.

And yet the problem is this: that what is needed to come into the presence of the Father is a perfect holiness.

The ticket of our own moral record will be rejected at the check-in gate.

Neither can we buy perfect holiness.

And so we can't reach this destination out of our own ability.

Jesus says, though, I am the way.

I am the ticket that you need.

I have a perfect righteousness.

And I am willing to give you everything that you need to reach Him.

And so what the gospel tells us is that Jesus was rejected by the Father, by his father, so that we could be accepted by the Father.

Oh, wonderful news.

The cross, friends, is the embrace of the Father toward you.

It's his kiss of reconciliation.

All has been forgiven.

Here is where he shows us his love in the most profound of ways.

That he is the way to the Father.

And thirdly, Jesus wants you to know his life in you.

Verses 12 through 14.

Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do.

And greater works will 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.

And then verse 23 If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to make our home with him.

And so you may remember Jesus, after Jesus' resurrection, eight days later, Thomas is inside in the upper room with his with the other disciples, and they're locked up and they're in fear about what's going to take place.

And Jesus comes into the museum and he says, Peace be with you.

And then he knows Thomas's doubts.

And so he says, Thomas, you know, put your put your finger here.

See my see my hands?

Put your hands on my side.

Do not disbelieve, but believe.

And Thomas goes on to say, Lord, oh my God.

And Jesus says to him, Have you believed, Thomas, because you have seen me?

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

What Jesus is saying here is, What you and I need is belief.

Believe, Jesus says that my departure to the Father is for your good, because then you will receive the Holy Spirit.

And so Jesus goes on a little later to say, I tell you the truth, it is to your a it's actually to your advantage that I go away.

The disciples thought that this was a terrible idea.

Jesus said, It's actually to your advantage.

Why?

Well, he says, Because if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send them to you.

He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

And all that the Father has is mine.

Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

You know, I know many of you have traveled to some wonderful places in this country and all over the world, actually.

It's great to hear the stories and people's travels.

But there is no greater destination, no greater itinerary than what Jesus has planned.

Because Jesus is the life, he has sent his spirit.

That's part of the itinerary.

That was part of his plan.

And that's and what difference does that make, we may ask?

Well, it's it makes a difference because he comes to convict the world of sin and unrighteousness, and in so doing, he brings heaven into the souls of men.

What we're promised on this side of heaven is not absence from our troubles, but the presence of Jesus and the Father who In the midst of our troubles.

Sometimes, sometimes God is pleased to remove our troubles.

Other times, He chooses to minister to us in the midst of our troubles.

But either way, He has life to give you.

He has life to give you.

Jesus says, I am the life.

Notice the large-heartedness of our Lord's invitation here.

Jesus is revealing the magnitude of the Father's heart.

If we struggle to believe this, Jesus is saying, All right, believe me here.

See this.

See the Father's heart.

You know, some of us may not have experienced a good earthly father.

None are perfect.

But what Jesus is saying here is it's not true of this one.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

You know, I fail to think of a more loving, open-armed, hospitable, and inviting promise in all of the scriptures.

Jesus didn't feel the need to qualify this promise, and so neither do I.

How wide and how open and how receptive is his heart toward his children.

A number of years ago, uh, Dr.

Robert Schuller was on a whirlwind book promotion tour, visiting eight cities in four days.

It was an exhausting schedule in addition to normal duties.

Dr.

Schuller was also pastor of a large church and had that on his shoulders.

And as he was going over his schedule with his secretary for his return home, she reminded him that he was scheduled to have lunch with the winner of a charity raffle.

Shuler was suddenly sobered when he found out the winner of the raffle.

For he happened to know that the$500 bid that the person had bid to have lunch with him represented that person's entire life savings.

How did he know that?

Well, the person was his own teenage daughter.

You know what this illustrates, friends, is that have time with an earthly father is worth more than money.

And in this case, entire life savings from this girl.

How much more is this true in regard to our Heavenly Father?

John Calvin has a wonderful, wonderful description of this invitation.

Prayer, he says, is holy and familiar conversation with God.

Our Heavenly Father, reverently speaking, it is family conversation or even intimate covenantal conversation in which the believer confides in God as a child confides in his Father.

Prayer is an emotion of the heart within, which is poured out and laid open before God.

In prayer, we both communicate and commune with our Father in heaven, feeling our transparency in his presence.

Like Christ in Gethsemane, we cast our desires, sighs, anxieties, fears, hopes, and joys into the lap of God.

Through prayer, a Christian puts his worries bit by bit on God.

We are permitted to pour into God's bosom the difficulties which torment us in order that he may loosen the knots that we cannot untie.

Prayer is the outpouring of a soul, the deepest root of piety, the bedrock of assurance.

And you know, I can't think of anything more life-giving or reassuring to us than this.

Connection in the depths of our soul to the loving heart of our Heavenly Father.

You know, I think many of us can be emotionally locked up.

God would have us to be otherwise.

He says, Come to me with your troubles.

Come to me with the things that concern you.

Here we have a loving heart ever so willing, so able, so large and generous toward us, that it can't be exhausted.

It can't be depleted or drained.

Friends, Jesus does not promise to deal with all of our troubles at once.

But he does promise grace to deal with your troubles today.

And so each day, today and each day, we're invited with open arms to cast our desires, our sighs, our anxieties, our fears, our hopes, and our joys into the lap of our Father in heaven.

Someone at this point might ask, well, so what role does the Holy Spirit have in all of this?

And it's a good question.

The answer to that is that the Holy Spirit takes a promise like this and reminds us of them in the midst of all of the intimate troubles we face.

We all have our own troubles, right?

The Holy Spirit comes in the midst of all the intimate troubles that we face.

And spirit-fa-empowered faith speaks into our troubles with a but God.

It says, I'm not going to listen to the troubles themselves.

I'm not going to listen to the things that are getting in the way.

It says, I know I'm experiencing troubles.

I know I'm experiencing these things, but but I believe who God says he is, and that he has given us promises for me to trust him with.

And so faith takes these promises to him, crawls up on his knee, whispers in his ear, and leaves them on his lap.

What a gift.

And so he steadies us in the midst of our troubles.

And he keeps you.

And he keeps me walking with him on the path.

You know, there's no arrival gate or lounge on this planet that is as receptive as his heart.

For the fathers who are here this morning on this Father's Day, and it not only applies to fathers, it applies to all of us.

If you would seek to be a father who is spirit-filled toward your children, toward your wife, toward your spiritual family, and take up the promise of Jesus that if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

Be a frequent traveler to your father's heart.

And as you come afresh day by day with all the many requests and promises that lay upon your heart, just watch.

Watch.

Watch your heart, your own heart, become increasingly more like your heavenly Father's heart.

As it expands and it becomes increasingly more wide.

Increasingly more open.

Increasingly more transparent, more receptive, and more loving.

This world needs such large-hearted people.

Large-hearted, contented people who know they have a home in heaven.

They are the ones who do wonderful things in this world.

Jesus promises that greater things will be done in this age than were done during his earthly ministry.

Because Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father, because Jesus is mediating for us, because his Spirit is indwelling his people, this powerful gospel continues to spread and continues to save and continues to change lives.

And so Jesus is still on the move.

He is still the way.

And he is pleased in all the many requests that we have to use you and to use me in bringing glory to the Father.

Friends, he wants you to know his life in you.

Amen.

Oh, gracious and almighty Father, we thank you.

We're so thankful for giving us your Son, who is indeed the way and the truth and the life to us.

Father, we uh we're sinners.

And yet you have been so gracious to us and remain so.

And so, Father, we thank you that everything in Jesus Christ you have given to us, we thank you for your large-heartedness toward us.

We thank you that you have shown us the way.

We thank you that you have given us the truth.

And Lord, we thank you that you continue to pour in your life to us in our midst, day by day.

And so, Lord, we praise and we thank you with gratitude in our hearts.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.