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The Hope of Heaven
Intro
Hope of the Resurrection
Leave empowered today by the Resurrection of Jesus
Greatest I Am statement ever in John 14:6
Background
Three times in the book of John prior to this point in history we have read that Jesus has been deeply moved or troubled in His own spirit.
First is when he faces Lazarus’ tomb and the pain of those around him.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
Second when he is in the Garden of Gethsemane knowing that his is about to face the cost of the cross.
“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
Finally when they are at what is commonly called the last supper and he speaks of Judas betrayal.
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
It His Jesus confidence in the power and promises of God the Father that has made it possible for him to confront each of these crises. Now the Apostles must face those same feelings. And So Jesus now is going to help them to do so.
Confusion -> Fear
Jesus knows that this is what is about to come for his disciples.
So he is looking to allay the confusion in order to minimize the fear.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
Troubled Hearts
Don’t worry. Don’t become upset. God will take care of you, if you accept Him as your Lord. Put your faith in Him. Cast your cares upon Him.
Jesus impending departure from the scene.
Trust in God
The solution to a troubled heart is trust in God
To Trust God is to Trust Jesus
Jesus Has a Purpose and a Plan
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.”
Faith in a Plan
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?
“In my fathers house are many rooms.”
This is not about the specifics about our abode in heaven.
The disciples needed to trust that Jesus leaving serves a greater purpose for them.
Jesus departure must take place because once his mission here is completed he has another mission waiting for Him in heaven.
That mission is to prepare a place for us.
Faith in a Promise
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.
“If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”
Jesus here is speaking of a future dramatic climax to all of history. We must not allow the things of this world and the events that play out all around us to cause us fear or anxiety. We must find comfort and assurance that Jesus is now preparing a place for us and will one day return to claim us to Himself.
Remember the statement, “I will come again and will take you to myself.”
And you know the way to where I am going.”
Ok. We have the advantage of having time on our side. Time to study and think through the words of Jesus in order to figure out what he is really saying. And so, what is the way to where he is going.
I do believe that at this point most of us would be like “nope no clue” I know neither the way nor the where. Thank goodness again for our boy Thomas. He is the most honest and courageous, I believe, of all the apostles.
The Confusion
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus answer is in one sentence the culmination of all of the theology of what John has written up until this point.
Follow Jesus
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Way
“I am the way”
Access to the Father’s presence in heaven will only be through Jesus and no other. He is the only one who can lead his followers back to the place that he will prepare.
The Truth
“The Truth”
Jesus is the only expression and revelation of God the Father.
This is a clear statement about exclusivity
Jesus alone reveals God because He alone has seen God.
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Jesus is the only one who has ever seen the Father. And so all truth concerning the Father is contained only within the person of Jesus. This verse places Jesus as the only mediator between God and Man. Jesus doesn’t simply define his destination as being the father or heaven, instead he says that he is the only means by which man might reach the Father.
We need to see that only God can lead us to himself.
This is a continuation of what we read in John 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
The Life
“And the Life”
If Jesus is the only one who reveals the Father and the way to the Father then logically he is the only one who can offer eternal life with the Father. In fact he must then be the very definition of that life.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
This statement simply leads naturally into Jesus next statement.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Because God the Father and Jesus the Son are of the same essence as one God, if you have seen the Son you have therefore seen the Father.
More Confusion
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.
I believe that Philips confusion is completely normal. We have already read in John 1:18 that no one has seen God. In fact we even looked at the fact that not even Moses has seen the Father.
And so Jesus is going to help him see.
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’?
Jesus is not simply some other or new Rabbi come on to the scene. He’s not some great teacher. You will hear people who will state that Jesus never made a claim to divinity. But we have seen otherwise over-and-over again in all of these passages. Jesus claim hear is that He is the one in whom God can be found. Standing before Philip is God incarnate. And so for Philip to gaze upon Jesus is in some sense to see the essence of the Father as well.
Not simply a symbol though.
Jesus acted as an agent or messenger on behalf of God the Father. And so Jesus carried with Him the authority to speak for and act on behalf of His sender, God 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.
BUT. Jesus is far more than simply an ambassador sent by God the Father.
I and the Father are one.”
Power in the Name
Remember at the beginning I stated that Jesus purpose was to encourage and bring comfort to his disciples concerning what is about to happen to him. And so Jesus encourages the Apostles in the next few verses. He essentially is telling them that if the power of God the Father is present within Jesus and they gain life from Jesus, through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit then they too must be sharers in the power of God the Father.
Power
“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.
Promise of the Future
Jesus must first go to the Father before these greater works can take place.
We Participate
Jesus works here is a reference to the miracles that he performed. And this promises that we will be able to participate in some way in these works.
For the Glory of Jesus
Jesus came to this world for the express purpose of bringing glory to the Father. Every work that he does brings glory to God. Therefore, we, His disciples, continue that work of bringing glory to the Father. And we do so by bringing glory to the name of Jesus.
Upon Jesus ascent to the Father two things will come true in the midst of the Church. Great works will be seen in the midst of the Church and prayer will be answered.
One thing that is important for us to see is that the works of Jesus are not only miraculous deeds. His works also included deeds of service, humility, and love as well. And this is the promise we need to rest in. We, the followers of Jesus, will do greater works than these.
Prayer
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.
I believe that Jesus is using answered prayer as an “example” of what our greater works may look like.
Does this mean that we will do things that are quantitatively or qualitatively greater than those Jesus perfomed. i don’t believe that is quite what Jesus is saying here. Jesus performed all of these as God incarnate. Jesus’ followers will perform great works as normal human beings who are all filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is what makes them “greater” who we are vs. who he is.
So What?
Experience and feelings vs. truth
We more often than not verify what is real by what we feel rather than the truth that might be before us. What we experience and feel must be verified by the truth found in the scriptures.
Sermon evaluation
Both must be experienced it is not an either or proposition it must be both and.
First there are several Theological Themes that are found in this chapter. And they are significant in our becoming “greater” disciples of Jesus.
Theological Themes
Jesus Departure
He left to continue the work the Father has given to him
He has left to prepare a place for us His church.
Jesus Identity
Johns greatest hope in writing this book was to reveal Jesus and by revealing Jesus we might see the Father.
NO COMPROMISE
Our world does not like objective truth
This is completely antecedent to Jesus claims here. Jesus does not point the way to the Father. He is the only way to the Father. Jesus does not teach us the truth about the Father. He is that very truth incarnate. And Jesus does not represent one avenue for eternal life out of many. Jesus is the only life eternal. We must see and understand and represent to this world that in Jesus: God has show himself and God has spoken. And he has done so with exclusivity. There is truth and it is found in Jesus alone. Everything else is but a lie
Our claims concerning Jesus our exclusive.
Our claim is centered in the truth that God was fully present in Christ in order that the world might be reconciled to himself
The way of Jesus is powerful and true because in him we find God drawing us to himself. We celebrate the resurrection because in Jesus we find the way to the power of the resurrection in us.
If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ you are now a new creation the old is gone and the new has come. Each of us has therefore been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live, but it is Christ who lives within us. The lives we now live in these bodies, we now live by faith in the son of God, who loves us and gave himself for us. The lives we now live we live by the power of the resurrection within us. That’s right we live and act every day through resurrection power. That means that everything we do we are able to do greater. Each of you has been gifted by God the Father through the presence of the Holy Spirit within you through spiritual gifts. Those spiritual gifts are meant for each one of us to work for the glory of God. And so we need to allow the light within us to shine before others, so that they might see our good deeds and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
Resurrection Sunday should not only be a day to celebrate our risen Lord. But, also a day to recognize that the power that resurrected Him from the dead is now at work in each of us to bring glory to our risen Lord. These truths should cause us to celebrate every day.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.