John Ch14v1-14 - Knowing and Showing the Father

John 14, starting at verse 1.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in me.

My Father's house has many rooms, if that were not so,

would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

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.

You know the way to the place where I am going.

But Thomas said to him,

Lord, we don't know where you are going,

so how can we know the way?

Jesus answered,

I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.

From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

Philip said,

Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.

Jesus answered,

Don't you know me, Philip,

even after I have been among you for such a long time?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say,

Show us the Father?

Don't you believe that I am in the Father,

and that the Father is in me?

The words I say to you,

I do not speak on my own authority.

Rather, it is the Father living in me

who is doing his work.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father,

and the Father is in me.

Or at least believe in the evidence of the words themselves.

Very truly I tell you,

whoever believes in me

will do the works I have been doing,

and they will do even greater things than these,

because I am going to the Father.

And I will do whatever you ask in my name,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

You may ask me for anything in my name,

and I will do it.

Thanks, Martin.

Welcome.

Thank you for coming

and being with us today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, it's lovely to be with you this morning.

I know it's a day of immense sadness for you

as a church,

and really,

it's like Jesus,

it's hard to know where to turn.

That last song we sang,

talked about all kinds of things we might feel,

and just that encouragement to come to Jesus.

And so this morning,

that's simply where I want to bring us,

is to bring us to Jesus.

And hopefully there,

we will receive the comfort

that we need in the face of death,

and also the courage that we need

to face life in the days that lie ahead.

I don't know if any of you

did your leaving certificate this summer,

or even in recent summers.

Even if it was in far-off summers,

you may still remember

having to read a play

for your English paper.

For some of you,

that might have been a delight,

and for others,

I'm sure,

a complete drag.

But there's a sense,

really,

isn't there,

in which a play

is to be shown

in order

for it to be

known.

There's something different

about seeing.

It acted out

the way the writer

meant it to be displayed.

There's something different,

a different kind of knowing

the play

by the actor

showing

the play.

Likewise,

if you're anything like me,

before you go on holiday,

you might like to read up

in advance

about the place

that you're going to.

You know all about

the tourist attractions

you want to see

or the historical buildings

that you want to visit.

But there's a different

kind of knowing

when the guide

is showing you

those sights

themselves.

Well,

in order that we might

know the Father,

we're told here

that Jesus came

to show

the Father.

The Son of God

comes in human form

so that the invisible

God might be made

known

by being

shown.

Some of the followers

of Jesus will talk

about not only

seeing with their eyes,

but what their ears

have heard

and what their hands

have touched.

The invisible God,

the Father,

is made known

as he is shown

by the Son of God

come

in human form.

In this passage,

Jesus says to Thomas

in 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.

You see,

the incredible truth

is that we know

the Father

by knowing

Jesus.

Now,

there's a complexity

to this relationship

between the Father

and the Son

which is so hard

for us to understand.

We struggle

to grasp it.

In human relationships,

you might say

things like these,

you are just

like your Father.

I think that's usually

said in a negative tone.

You're just like

your Father.

Or you might say

she is the spit

of her mother.

Now,

we mean one of two things.

We might be talking

about a physical likeness.

The daughter looks

so much like her mother

that there's no mistaking

what family

she belongs to.

Or we may be talking

about characteristics.

We see this

son's sense of humour

and we know exactly

where it comes from.

It's as though

the Father is speaking.

But in no sense

would you ever say

if you know the son,

you know the father.

Or if you know the daughter,

you know the mother as well.

We understand

that they are

unique individuals

with different desires

and aspirations,

likes and dislikes,

interests,

hobbies,

and pleasures.

Well, the relationship

between the father

and the son

is far more complex

than that.

It's not a physical likeness

because God is spirit

and Jesus has come

as a human being.

And in character,

we're not simply saying

that the father and son

are like one another

in certain ways.

what we're saying

instead is that

they share

the very same

characteristics

because they are

one

in their very being.

There is one

God.

this is not like

anything in human

relationships

between two people

who have differing

wills and desires.

Rather,

what the father

wills,

the son wills,

what the father

loves,

the son loves.

Though they're

different persons,

they're one God.

So Jesus can say

in verse 11,

I am in the father

and the father

is in me.

Now,

as complicated

as that is,

and if it is

too complicated

for you to grasp,

I'm going to put it

in simple terms

because it's also

wonderfully simple.

We know the father

by knowing the son.

We know the father

by knowing Jesus.

It's as simple as that.

Jesus' disciples

want to know

God the father

and Jesus' message

is wonderfully simple.

So simple

they're struggling

to grasp it

in 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.

Well,

how can that be?

It's because we know

the father

by knowing Jesus.

And according to Jesus,

there is room

in the father's house

for all

who trust

the son.

Verse 2,

in my father's house

are many rooms.

if it were not so,

I would have told you.

Maybe you've had

the experience

in your house

that your teenage son

or daughter

tells you

that they've been

invited to stay

over at their

friend's house

and your first question

is,

do their parents know?

Is this an invitation

from the friend

or is this an invitation

that comes from

the parent?

After all,

it is their house.

But remember

that the son,

Jesus,

and the father

are one.

What the father loves,

the son loves.

What the father wills,

the son wills.

So there is room

in the father's house

in heaven

for all

who trust

in the son.

And these rooms

in the father's house

are made ready

by Jesus.

He says in verse 2,

I am going

to prepare

a place

for you.

I remember

something in my youth

that I heard

numerous times

and I think I remember

hearing it most clearly

from a singer

who was popular at the time,

Keith Green.

If that brings a smile

to your face,

that puts you

in a certain

era of time.

And one of the things

that he'd often say

was this,

if it took God

six days

to create the world

and more than

2,000 years

to prepare

our eternal home,

a wonderful

wonderful place

it must be.

Now I understand

the sentiment

but it is

something that

is mistaken.

God didn't need

six days

to create a world.

He didn't need

2,000 years

to create

an eternal home.

He could have created

each in an instant.

God doesn't need

all of that time.

So what was Jesus

referring to

when he speaks

of going

to prepare

a place

for us?

Well he's talking

about his death,

burial,

resurrection,

and ascension.

That's what's needed

to prepare

our eternal home.

In our sinful

rejection

of the Father,

we'd forsaken

all rights

to our eternal home.

And Jesus

is the only one

who can make it

possible for us

to return.

It's not it

that needs to be

made ready for us.

It is us

that need to be

made ready

for it.

That's the very

reason Jesus came.

It's the very

reason that Jesus

is speaking

about leaving

his disciples.

He must die

for their sins.

He must take

the judgment

that their sins

deserve.

He must rise

from the dead

and return

to the Father's

house,

having made

ready room

for them,

just as he

does for

us.

These rooms

in the Father's

house are

made ready

by Jesus

and he

will bring

us there.

Verse 3

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.

If the

reason for

Jesus leaving

is to prepare

a place

for us

in the

Father's

house,

there's still

something more

to be done.

He must

return

so that

we might

join him

in the

Father's

house.

Now perhaps

when someone

is coming

to visit

you in

your house,

you provide

them with

directions.

Usually you

start with

a well-known

landmark.

For us,

that's

DID

electrical.

As you

come into

Vanden,

do you know

where DID

electrical is?

If you

can find

that,

then you

can get

to our

house

from there.

Now if

you live

in the

middle of

nowhere,

directions

can be a

little bit

more

complicated.

After the

crossroads,

drive for

exactly one

mile and

then take

the right

turn.

Now those

kind of

directions

make me

very nervous.

What

helps is

this when

a friend

says,

I'm

going,

I know

the way,

I'll pick

you up at

7.30 and

you can

come with

me.

I don't

have to

think about

it anymore.

my friend

knows the

way,

my friend

is the

way,

they're

going to

collect me,

I don't

need to

worry about

it.

Well that's

exactly what

Jesus is

saying about

getting to

the Father's

house.

He will

bring us,

he will

collect us.

If you're

trusting in

Jesus to

bring you to

the Father's

house,

not because of

something you

have done,

but because

Jesus has

prepared it

for you by

his death

and resurrection,

you can

have absolute

confidence in

the face of

death.

You will

gain access

to the

Father's

house,

because Jesus

himself will

take you to

be where he

is in

the Father's

house.

And there

you will

live with

him.

It's

described in

the most

intimate terms,

isn't it?

The most

personal of

terms,

verse 3,

I will

come back

and take

you to

be with

me that

you also

may be

where I

am.

You see,

heaven is

not so

much about

the place

as it

is about

the person.

It's

about being

with

Jesus,

the one

who loved

us so

much that

he would

give his

very life

in our

place,

the one

who has

made ready

for us

room in

the Father's

house,

the one

who will

come and

bring us

to be

with him

where he

is.

What a

comfort that

brings.

to a

church and

to a

family at

a time

like this.

When

experiencing

the loss

of someone

who is

loved by

so many,

to know

that there

is for

joy room

in the

Father's

house made

ready by

Jesus who

has brought

her there

to be

with him.

for

Jesus'

first

disciples

struggling

with the

fact that

Jesus is

about to

leave them,

this is

what would

bring them

comfort.

Though

Jesus is

leaving,

he is

going to

make

ready room

for them

in the

Father's

house.

Why?

so that

they might

be with

him

forever.

Now,

all of

that sounds

wonderful,

and other

people,

even over

these next

days,

will commend

you for

such faith.

It's

wonderful

that you

have such

faith.

faith.

But now

we get to

the offensive

part.

Because

Jesus says

in verse

6,

I am the

way and

the truth

and the

life.

No one

comes to

the Father

except

through me.

We can

know the

Father by

knowing

Jesus and

only Jesus.

You see,

it might be

acceptable for

other people

if we say,

I know

God by

knowing

Jesus.

That would

be acceptable

to people

as long

as we're

not telling

them that

for them

to know

God,

they also

must know

Jesus.

They have

their own

way of

relating to

God.

It's great

to have

your way,

but I'll

find my

own way.

That's why

the words

of Jesus

bring not

only comfort

but

offence.

Jesus is

not leaving

room for

any other

way.

We know

the Father

by knowing

Jesus and

only Jesus.

No one

comes to

the Father

except

through me.

Perhaps

there are

some here

today who

have heard

much about

Jesus,

even like

much of

the things

that Jesus

has to

say,

but don't

yet trust

him to

rely on

him and

only him

to bring

you to

the Father's

house.

But there

is no

other way

and so

long as

you don't

trust

Jesus,

there is

no room

for you

in the

Father's

house.

You must

turn to

him,

ask for

forgiveness

and trust

him that

he does

it all

by his

death and

resurrection.

That he

and he

alone can

bring you

to the

Father's

house.

Now

Jesus

speaks in

this

passage not

only of

knowing

the

Father,

but of

showing

the

Father.

It's

Philip who

makes the

request in

verse 8,

Lord show

us the

Father and

that will

be enough

for us.

Now

Philip's

question comes

in response

to what

Jesus has

just said.

Remember

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.

Now

Philip has

to ask

show us

the

Father,

he has

yet to

grasp in

whose

company he

has spent

the last

few years.

Because the

very reason

that Jesus

came was

that he

might show

the

Father.

He shows

the Father

by speaking

the Father's

words,

verse 10.

The words

I say

to you

are not

just my

own.

Jesus

isn't

just a

religious

teacher

who's

outlining

his own

particular

philosophy

about life

and about

God.

No,

Jesus

speaks

the

Father's

words.

Remember

that Jesus

not only

calls himself

the way

but the

truth.

Once again,

we live in a

society that

doesn't want

to accept

the idea

of absolute

truth.

We live

in a world

that wants

everyone to

be able to

define their

own truth,

whatever works

for them,

but Jesus

doesn't

allow any

wiggle room

here either.

He is

the truth.

He speaks

the truth

because he

speaks the

Father's

words.

Jesus

shows the

Father by

doing the

Father's

work.

Look again

at verse 10.

The words

I say to you

are not just

my own,

rather is the

Father living

in me who

is doing

his work.

Now notice

here that

there is

hardly any

distinction

at all

between

words

and works.

I am not

only talking

about the

English spelling

of the

words.

In fact,

I think

they are so

close that

if I was

listening

carefully

enough,

I think

at one

point

Johnny

said

words

where the

word was

works

when he

was reading

the passage.

Jesus

barely

distinguishes

between

the two.

In other

words,

doing the

Father's

works

is to

speak

the

Father's

words.

We tend

to think,

don't we,

that the

miracles of

Jesus are

the works

of Jesus,

the works

that the

Father sent

him to

do,

but the

purpose of

miracles was

always to

authenticate

the words.

Back in

John chapter

John 10 · chapter mention

10,

Jesus

challenges

unbelievers

to at least

accept the

reality of

his miracles

if they

will not

accept

his

words.

Now here

in verse

11,

he has

to say

the very

same

thing

to his

followers,

at least

believe on

the evidence

of the

miracles

themselves.

Jesus

does the

Father's

work by

speaking

the

Father's

words.

And

Jesus

shows the

Father by

seeking

the

Father's

glory,

verse

11.

Jesus

promises to

answer the

prayers of

his

followers so

that the

Son may

bring glory

to the

Father.

You see,

Jesus shows

the Father

speaking the

Father's

words,

doing the

Father's

work,

seeking the

Father's

glory,

as do

we.

That's the

incredible

truth contained

in the very

last verses

that we read

this morning.

Look at

verse 12,

I tell you

the truth,

anyone who

has faith

in me

will do

what I

have been

doing.

But what

has Jesus

been doing?

He has

been speaking

the

Father's

words.

He has

been doing

the

Father's

work.

He has

been seeking

the

Father's

glory.

And when

we trust

in Jesus,

we do

those very

same things.

things.

But Jesus

says even

more than

that,

things that

I think

we get

confused

about at

times in

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 my

Father.

Sam

Albury

helpfully

writes,

Jesus

can't be

saying that

we will

somehow

outperform

him,

or have

a more

powerful

or miraculous

ministry

than him.

Not even

the miracles

of the

apostles

recorded

in the

book of

Acts

top

what

Jesus

did.

But if

it is

through

Jesus'

words

that the

Father is

working,

then our

greater

works is

not about

us doing

flashier

miracles,

but about

multiplying

his message.

The more

his words

are shared,

the greater

is the

work done

by the

Father.

In his

earthly

ministry,

Jesus could

only be

in one

place at

a time.

Now,

through his

disciples,

millions of

mouths can

be speaking

his words

all over

the world

at one

time.

How are

we to do

that?

How are

we to speak

the Father's

words as we

do the

Father's work

and seek

the Father's

glory?

Well,

quite simply

by the

Spirit

and prayer.

Now,

the Holy

Spirit isn't

mentioned here

explicitly in

this passage.

He will be

in the

verses that

follow,

but in

verse 12

when Jesus

speaks about

his followers

doing greater

works,

the reason

he gives

is this,

because I

am going

to the

Father.

If you read

on a little

bit later,

you'll see

the reason

he's going

to the

Father is

that he

might send

his

Holy

Spirit.

These even

greater things

will be

done because

the Holy

Spirit will

come,

who will

multiply the

message of

Jesus as

it goes

forth from

his people

by the

Spirit

and prayer.

Because Jesus

says he will

do whatever

we ask in

his name.

Now,

again,

that can be a

confusing

thing,

can't it?

It's not

some kind

of magic

formula that

guarantees

success when

we pray in

Jesus' name.

It's not

some kind

of special

power that

we can

invoke by

simply saying

in Jesus'

name.

If it

was,

isn't it

something we

would do

in order to

prevent what

you face at

this time?

rather,

Jesus has

come in

the Father's

name,

representing

the Father,

doing and

saying only

what the

Father wants,

and we

too are to

pray in

Jesus'

name,

asking for

those things

that Jesus

wants.

When we

desire what

Jesus desires,

what the

Father desires,

Jesus will

do it so

that all of

the glory

will go to

the Father

because his

will is

being done.

Do you

know the

Father?

If not,

you can only

come to know

him by

knowing

Jesus.

And if you

do not

trust in

the Son,

there is no

room for you

in the

Father's

house.

God

because Jesus

is the

only one

who can

bring us

to the

place he

has made

ready for

us.

And if

you are

trusting in

Jesus,

can I

encourage you

to seek

the Father's

glory by

speaking the

Father's

words and

doing the

Father's

work because

he has given

you his

spirit and

he will

answer your

prayers so

that we

might show

the Father

to those

around us

doing the

even greater

things that

Jesus has

promised.

Let's pray

together.

Father, we

thank you for

the comfort

that is

found in

the gospel

of the

Lord Jesus

even and

especially

at a time

like this.

We thank

you for the

absolute

confidence and

assurance that

we have

that those

who trust in

Jesus have a

place in the

Father's

house.

confidence

and that

Jesus himself

comes to

take us

there.

And I

pray for

Chris and

his family

at this

time that

you might

bring the

assurance of

those truths

to their

hearts and

to their

minds and

in the midst

of much

sorrow to

also bring

that assurance

and confidence.

we pray not

only that you

would give

comfort in

the face of

death but

that you

would give

courage to

live life as

you want us

to live it.

That we

would seek to

bring glory to

the Father by

doing your

works and

speaking your

words, trusting

you to do

with them what

you will

please.

And we pray

even for

tomorrow as

testimony is

given to

joy, faith and

trust in the

Lord Jesus.

that you

might be

pleased by

your spirit

to use all

that is said

and the life

that has been

lived to

speak into

the lives of

others.

And we ask

this in the

name of the

Lord Jesus.

Amen.