John 14: 1-6
Through the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Introduction: We are still in the upper room discourse. This is where Jesus has washed the disciples feet. Revealed the traitor Judas, and we recently heard Jesus tell Peter that he would deny Him 3 times before morning, as Peter was affirming his dying allegiance with Christ. Jesus has made it clear to His disciples that the time of His departure is at hand and will happen very soon. As you can imagine this has troubled the disciples and they are concerned about what is going to happen. For some reason they thought this was never going to end, and that they would rule with Jesus on earth. However, Jesus had been preparing them for this time to come. This is where we enter in to our passage today.
Illustration: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. It is often referred to a the silent killer because people don’t understand that they have a heart condition. Today we have many different technologies and EKGs to help us find and avoid this with regular check-ups. However, our spiritual hearts can often be burdened or weakened and we must turn to Christ in times like this.
Thesis: Jesus brings a calm in times of uncertainty, by trusting in Him.
Notice with me this morning 3 powerful truths from this passage.
1. A Calming Comfort
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
A. Comfort of knowing God. Jesus was comforting them because their spirit and emotions were troubled. He reminds them of their faith in God. He says you believe in God, believe also in me. This is important when we face different trials and circumstances in our lives. It is easy to focus on the problem and the obstacles that are caused by that problem. However, Jesus is redirecting their attention to their faith in God. We see Jesus telling His disciples that a comforter will come when He departs and we know that comforter is the Holy Spirit. That paraclete coming alongside us. When we accept Christ as our Saviour He indwells us.
Jesus was calmly comforting His disciples as a father comforts an anxious child. He is pointing them to their faith in God. He is the object of their faith. When times get tough you’re faith in God will help you through them, not your faith on having faith.
If your heart is troubled, you are not living up to your belief.
Oswald Chambers
Both times Believe is used in the imperative case and they are continuously . We are commanded to believe in Jesus over and over again.
B. Comfort of Heaven -
This is part of the plan. He lets them in on a glimpse of heaven. He is showing them what its like where He is going.
Heaven is real! You know, someone said, and I haven't counted to be sure, but someone said in chapters 13 through 17 of John Jesus refers to the Father 53 times; He calls God, "Father," 53 times. I haven't checked it out, but I do know it occurs a lot of times. And here Jesus is talking about our future home as the Father's house. "I go to prepare a place for you." As someone has well said, heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. And the question is, my friends, are you prepared?
In Heaven, we’ll be at home with the God we love and who loves us wholeheartedly. Lovers don’t bore each other. People who love God could never be bored in his presence.
Randy Alcorn
Illustration:
Joni Erickson who became a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident nearly 30 years ago has experienced more than her share of pain and heartache.
She says that "heaven has become my heart's home, the place where I will finally belong and the place where I will get a brand new body." Heaven is the place where there will be no more tears, pain or sorrow. She goes on to say, "In the world's finale something so glorious is going to happen that it will atone for every single tear we've ever cried. God is going to give us the key that will make sense out of what now seems to be such senseless suffering. Heaven is going to be a place of no more disappointment, no more grief but Heaven's joy.
No Disappointment in Heaven
There's no disappointment in heaven,
No weariness, sorrow or pain;
No hearts that are bleeding and broken,
No song with a minor refrain.
The clouds of our earthly horizon
Will never appear in the sky,
For all will be sunshine and gladness,
With never a sob nor a sigh.
We'll never pay rent for our mansion,
the taxes will never come due;
Our garments will never grow threadbare,
But always be fadeless and new.
We'll never be neither hungry nor thirsty,
Nor languish in poverty there,
For all the rich bounties of heaven
His sanctified children will share.
There'll never be crepe on the door-knob,
No funeral train in the sky;
No graves on the hillside of Glory,
For there we shall never more die.
The old will be young there forever,
Transformed in a moment of time;
Immortal we'll stand in His likeness,
The stars and the sun to outshine.
I'm bound for that beautiful city
My Lord has prepared for His own;
Where all the redeemed of all ages
Sing "Glory!" around the white throne.
Sometimes I grow homesick for heaven,
And the glories I there shall behold:
What a joy that will be when my Savior I see,
In that beautiful city of gold!
F. M. Lehman
The Hope of heaven helps when we are dealing with troubles down here.
C. Comfort in preparation - He has prepared a place for us. Have you ever had company coming over and you prepare your house for their arrival. You make sure to
D. Comfort in the rapture - He is coming again to take us to heaven.
Illustration:
I heard about a little boy whose father was up on the roof repairing the roof, as some of you are going to be doing, and are doing right now. And so the little boy decided he'd climb the ladder up where his daddy was. So he started climbing up the ladder, he got about half-way, looked down, became afraid, and started to cry. And his father said to him, he said, "Son, don't look down; look up at me, and keep climbing." So the little boy looked up at his dad, he kept climbing, and he arrived safely. Well, you see, dear friends, that's what the Lord Jesus says to us today. Jesus says, "Keep looking up at me, and keep climbing." And, friends, that's a cure for heart trouble this morning, that is a cure that will give you strength against the burdens and the heartaches of life: a strong faith. "You believe in God, keep on believing in me."
Application: Keep trusting Jesus through the hard times, keep your eyes on Him. Heaven isn’t as far away as we might think. We are going to spend eternity with Him in heaven!!
Transition: Not only do we see A Careful Consideration, next Notice a Concerned Character
2. A Concerned Character
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Thomas had a unique nickname that I am sure he didn’t much care for. He is referred to as “doubting Thomas”
A. Thomas didn’t understand, he couldn’t put the pieces to gether. He was known for his doubting and pessimism. He is the disciple that said, unless I can put my hands in your wounds I can’t believe.
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Doubting Thomas as we see in the passage we just looked at, had a hard time believing but Jesus came and met him. In this passage Thomas has a hard time understanding the truth behind what Jesus is saying. His world was being rocked by the thought that Jesus was leaving. He began to doubt. If you have ever doubted in your relationship with God you are not alone. Thomas doubted and Jesus didn’t cast him aside but instead He reassures him just as He does for us.
B. A literal interpretation of a future event. He was thinking temporal when Jesus was speaking eternal. We see this a lot in the book of John. Jesus speaking eternal wisdom to His disciples and they interpret these things temporally.
Illustration:
We call him “Doubting Thomas,” but Jesus did not rebuke him for his doubts. He rebuked him for unbelief: “Be not faithless, but believing.” Doubt is often an intellectual problem: we want to believe, but the faith is overwhelmed by problems and questions. Unbelief is a moral problem; we simply will not believe.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts; do not make the mistake of doubting your beliefs and believing your doubts.
Charles F. Deems
Doubt sees the obstacles,
Faith sees the way;
Doubt sees the blackest night,
Faith sees the day;
Doubt dreads to take a step,
Faith soars on high;
Doubt questions, “Who believes?”
Faith answers, “I!”
Unknown
Application: Don’t doubt in the night what God has shown you in the light!
Transition: We have seen A Careful Consideration, A Concerned Character, and Finally lets look at a Crucial Charge.
3. A Charge of Confidence
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus said, "I am..." That's the same divine title forGod He's been using in John; the same name for God in the Old Testament, attesting now to the deity of Jesus Christ himself. "I am ... the way ... the truth ... and the life:no man comes unto the Father, but by me." What's Jesus doing? Jesus is giving us the cure of a stable foundation.You see, Jesus said, "I am the way." What He's saying is, "I'm life's pathway."
A. He is the only Way to Heaven
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: For I am God, and there is none else.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Illustration: Have you ever gone on a trip and you got lost? Now I am talking back before GPS when you only had map books and word of mouth. Even to this day my Dad tries to give me directions about getting to places by different turns and the such but I wonder have you ever gotten really confused. In the south people like to use landmarks to describe how to get somewhere. “Yeah, you want to take a left a the citgo, take a right at the red pickup in the grass, if you see a buncha horses you’ve gone too far!” It can be kind of annoying if you’re trying to get somewhere for the first time. I remember driving a dump truck full of sand that had to be delivered at a very specific spot on someones property. I had very detailed directions but it was still kind of confusing. However, the homeowner showed up and directed me exactly where it was to go. He told me to follow him and he backed me in to the exact spot. He showed me “the way” to do go.
Jesus is telling us that He is the WAY. We are to follow after Him with the confidence that He knows everything. Everyone is looking for a way to God, the Muslims are looking to Mohammed, the Buddhists are looking to Buddha, but we know from the Bible that Jesus is the WAY the only way to God!
B. He is the truth - immutable. HE is absolute truth. We live in a society now that is trying to erase absolute truth. It is what is true to you? or thats your truth. My truth is....
Well, you see, truth is always narrow. Error is always broad. Let me illustrate. For instance, what's 1 plus 1? Well error says it may be 3. Error says it could be 5. Error says it might be 75. 1 plus 1 is whatever you want it to be. Error is broad. But, you see, if you say the truth, what's 1 plus 1? Truth says 1 plus 1 equals 2. And, friends, I don't know about you but when I go to a doctor and he is messing with my body I want him to be narrow in his application. I don't want him to say it might be this, it could be this, and who knows what it may be, and I may give you this, and I may try this, and we may do that. No, no, no. I want him to be very narrow and say, "This is it." And, you see, Jesus Christ says, "I'm it. I'm the way: I'm life's pathway. I'm the truth
C. He brings life to all who trust in Him.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Because of the fall of Adam we were all born with a sin nature. Our sin separates us from God but God made a way of salvation for each and every man that would ever be born.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That wonderful gift of salvation is restoration to the lost and it brings forth eternal LIFE. Jesus came to die that He might bring forth life. He is telling His disciples this wonderful paradox. His death brought forth life for all who trust and believe on Him!
D. He is necessary for Restoration and Salvation - This salvation is only through Jesus! There is on other way to God but through Jesus. It is not all roads that lead to heaven. It is through Jesus Christ alone that we have salvation!
Illustration:
Moralism will not get us to God. Being a good person isn’t enough to save a soul.
Intellectualism will not get you to God. If I study the universe I can reach God.
Religion wont get you to God. - If I add a semblance of every religion I will have all of my bases covered and I can get to God.
Application: No the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. It was His shed blood on the cross that makes a way of Salvation.
Conclusion:
Do you have a heavy heart? Put your trust in Jesus.
Do you have a doubting heart? Don’t doubt in the night what God has shown you in the light.
Do you have a relationship with God? Trust Christ today.
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