Living the Future: The Trustworthy Jesus

We can Trust Jesus because he dwells with us

Intro

Good morning! Thank you all for being here with us today, or for joining us online. My name is Clint, and I am excited to be continuing on with our series called Living the Future. In this series we are looking at the seven different “I am” statements that Jesus makes. We are exploring how those statements relate to the Kingdom of God.

A simple way to think about the Kingdom of God is that it’s the place where God gets his way 100% of the time. That’s what I think of when I think of Heaven. It’s where everything is perfect. We believe that because of the work Jesus did on the cross, that future reality, Heaven, is breaking into the present.

We can experince Heaven, right here and now. These seven I am statements help us experince the Kingdom of God, not just at the end of time, but right now.

So, today, we are going to look at some verses in John 14. Today’s I am statement is John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Now, when Jesus was walking the earth he made several really bold claims, and this one ranks right up there. No one can access the Father except through Jesus. That’s a big claim, and for some of us, that is a statement that we wrestle with.

How can Jesus be the only way? If that’s you, stay with me, we will talk about that.

On the other hand, maybe of you have heard this verse taught quite a few times and you are already starting to check out, you are thinking, “Yup, I know where this is going”

Today we are going to look at this verse, maybe from a different angle than you’ve head it talked about before . I really believe that today, God wants to speak to all of us. He wants to provide comfort and encouragement to all of us, he wants to use this verse to show us how we can trust him.

We are going to see that Jesus is trustworthy, in big ways and small ways, and we are going to learn how we can grow in our ability to trust him in every area of our lives. This is for all of us, it doesn’t matter if you are brand new to a life of faith, or if you have been a Christian for alot of years, this is for every single one of us.

So why don’t you grab a bible, we are going to start in John 14.

He knows us (verses 1-4)

Say’s don’t be Troubled (1)

Let me start by setting the context a little bit. Just before this, in John 13, we see Jesus share a final meal with his disciples, he washes their feet, predicts his betrayal and tells them that he is going away and that even Peter would deny him.

This is a lot for Jesus’ friends to take in. Picture you are sitting there with Jesus. He has just come into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowds, its before this big Passover party, this should be a time to celebrate! One of the common beliefs at the time was that the Messiah, God’s chosen savior, was going to set up a political Kingdom and rule the whole earth from a throne in Jerusalem.

It’s pretty easy to assume that this is where the disciples minds would go. We are here! We have entered Jerusalem, it’s this big festival, this is the time! Jesus is going to set things right, now. He’s going to drive out the Romans and sit on the throne and be King.

And now, at dinner, Jesus starts talking about betrayal, about going away, and even denial. Peter is portrayed as Jesus’ number 2, his most dedicated follower. Jesus says, even you Peter, are going to run away from me.

Picture yourself in that room. It shouldn’t be too hard, we all have been there. We have all had those moments where we think things are going to turn out one way, and we get thrown for a loop.

We think we are going to get that promotion and we get passed over.

We think we’ve found the person that we are supposed to spend the rest of our life with, and they think differently.

We think that the person we love, our friend, parent, partner, we think they will recover from that sickness and they don’t.

Things in life happen that are unexpected. Things happen that we don’t see coming. We find ourselves disoriented and in chaos. We don’t understand. Maybe you are there right now.

Let’s look at Jesus response to his friends who are experience this disorientation, this confusion, and if you are in a spot where you just got thrown for a loop, this is what Jesus is saying to you.

Look at Chapter 14, verse 1

John 14:1 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

He says don’t be worried, don’t be alarmed. The word that we translate believe, can also be translated trust.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled, Trust God, and Trust me. Here he says, I know you are worried, but trust me. And then he tells us why we can trust him.

Prepares a place for you (2)

John 14:2 “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?”

I am going to prepare a place for you. Even in the middle of our trouble, Jesus has a place for us. He has a special place just for you. The word room is more of an intimate word, its not a big old mansion, its a place to dwell, a place to linger.

Picture the spot that you could spend all day in. I’ve got a chair in my house, right by our fire place. And a couple of times this winter, it’s been miserable outside, we’ve had a fire going. My kids are playing on the hardwood floor and aren’t trying to hurt each other, my wife Erin is sitting on the couch reading, I’m in my chair just taking it all in. And I have that thought, man, I wish this moment wouldn’t end. I want to dwell here, to linger here, you have a spot like that?

Jesus says, I’m making that spot for you. I’ve got a special place, that’s perfect for you. I see you, I notice you, and I’ve got a place that you belong. So don’t worry about the snow outside, don’t be troubled about the chaos, I’ve got a spot that you are safe.

We can trust Jesus, because he has a spot for us. As I was preparing this part of the message, I felt like there are some of you that are hearing this, that have never felt at home. You have never felt like you have a spot, you never felt like you have a place.

Some of you have never felt safe. Jesus has a spot for you thats safe, where you can be your self.

Others of us we’ve never felt noticed or special, always second best. In this verse Jesus says, I notice you for who you are, and I’ve got a place, just for you.

We can trust Jesus, because he creates a special spot, just for us.

And then Jesus takes it a step further

To be with him (3-4)

John 14:3-4 “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.””

Pay close attention here. Jesus says he will come back and take you to be with him. Yes, this verse is pointing at our future reality, together with Jesus in heaven, but it also points to the now. Our dwelling, the place we linger, the place that we can feel safe, isn’t just a place, it’s a person. We dwell with Jesus. He is with us. We can trust him because he is our dwelling, he is the place that keeps us safe.

I think of it like this. My dad, I love my dad. I feel safe when I am with my dad. I go home to visit, and I hug the old man. He hugs me back, I go to let go, and he pulls me closer, and I just melt into that hug. I don’t want it to end. I can feel how much he loves me. I feel that safety wash over me. It doesn’t matter anything else that’s going on, because in that moment, I’m with my dad, and I’m alright.

Some of you need to know today that your father is hugging you, and it’s okay. He pulls you close and says, you are home, trust me, don’t be troubled.

I know you, I have a place for you, and that place, that place to linger, is me. If it wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have said it.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled, trust me, I’m here for you. So what does this look like practically:

Maybe you are overwhelmed at work, can you still take time to trust him by scheduling prayer time in the morning.

How about when feel angry, hurt, betrayed by someone you loved, can you trust him by singing his praises in worship

When what you want conflicts with what God instructed in the bible, can you trust that his way is better

When you feel alone, can you trust that he has a place for you, and that place is with him.

He shows us (versus 5-14)

The way to the Father (5-7)

This can be difficult. And the disciples, they really didn’t get what Jesus was inviting them into. You can see that in the next verse.

John 14:5 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?””

I love Thomas. So honest. I don’t know about you, but I often ask a similar question. Lord, how can I follow you if I don’t know where your are going? I want to, God I want to follow you, I want to do what you want me to do. But how am I supposed to know?!

I hear some form of this question a lot. What am I supposed to do? I hear it in students

Where does God want me to go to school? What am I supposed to do with my life? I want to follow God, but I don’t know the way

I hear it with adults

Should I stay at this job that I hate. Should I move into this neighborhood? Should I stay at this church? Should I pursue this relationship? I want to follow God, but I don’t know the way.

And it’s not just external things, it can be with internal things as well. I have all this anger in my life..... what does it look like to follow God with my anger, or my hurt, by discontentment, my unmet expectations, what’s the way forward with those.

Where in your life are you feeling this longing? Where do you desperately desire to follow God, but aren’t sure what that looks like.

Thomas says, Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way, and Jesus replies

John 14:6-7 “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.””

Jesus says, you want to get close to the Father, I am the way you do it, there is no other way, that’s the truth, and it brings life.

Now, I want to pause here for just a second and point out a couple of things.

First, this is a bold claim. No one comes to the Father except through me?! There is only one path to the Father, and that is through the Son.

This is a high point in John’s gospel. Throughout the Gospel, John has pointed to the divinity of Jesus, and right here it comes to a head, it comes to a decision point. Is Jesus trustworthy, is he telling the truth, is he the only way?

And I’ve had conversations with folks about this over the years, about the boldness of this claim, that Jesus is the only way to get to the Father. People have asked me, well, what does that mean for this friend or that relative. .

Today, I want to point out something else. Later in John’s gospel we read about Peter and John are walking with the resurrected Jesus.

John 21:20-22 “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.””

We can spend a lot of time asking that question “Lord, what about him” When what Jesus is saying to us is “You must follow me”

So, I’m not saying those other questions aren’t important, what I am saying is today, Jesus is asking you, “Will you follow me?”

And this is for all of us. Jesus says if you want to see the father, look at me. I am the way. You want to draw close, I am the way. The way is a person. You come to me and dwell in the place that I have prepared for you. You spend time with me. You trust in me. That’s where life is. You want to know the way to the Father, it’s me.

And let’s be clear here, Jesus doesn’t say “I point the way”, he says “I am the way”

We can trust Jesus because he didn’t just talk the talk, he made the way. He isn’t a road sign pointing to the final destination, he is the destination. By dying on the cross, he gave his life so that our sins would be forgiven. He made it possible for us to be made right with God, to be able to draw close and dwell. We can trust Jesus because he already did the work. And now he is inviting us to experience the father through the son.

Who God is (9-11)

And the disciples, who have spent three years with Jesus at this point, they are still confused. So we see Philip pipes up and says, verse 8

John 14:8 “Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.””

I love this statement by Philip. He might be slightly misguided, but it appears that his heart is in the right place. He wants more of God. Just like Moses back in Exodus, “Show me your Glory” Philip wants to see more.

We are spiritual creatures and I fully believe we are all craving more. What does that look like for you. Where in your life do you desire more God, where are you crying out for more of his power, more of his presence, for a greater understanding of who he is?

Philip asks to see more, and then Jesus gives this answer

John 14:9-11 “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you 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 on the evidence of the works themselves.”

Phillip says, Lord, will you show us the Father, will you show us God, and Jesus says, “I’ve been here the whole time” If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.

This week as I’ve been praying about different things I keep coming back to this verse. I think there is something really powerful for all of us here, but especially for those of us who have been following Jesus for awhile.

We each of spots in our life, where Jesus is saying “Don’t you know me, even after all this time?” We each have spots in our life where we are operating under our own strength, and thats exhausting. Jesus is inviting us into a greater level of trust in those areas.

What part of your life are you having trouble trusting. Jesus points back to his relationship with Philip, he says “Philip, the words I spoke, the miraculous I’ve done, everything you’ve seen and been a part of, and you still don’t trust that I am the Father”

I think of my oldest daughter Clara. We play this game where I let her stand up on the kitchen table, I know, its not great, she stands up on the table and she jumps off and I catch her. It’s a complicated game. I’ve caught her a hundred times, and yet she always asks me, “You will catch me, right?” I don’t get mad, or frustrated, or annoyed. I say, “Yes kiddo, of course I’ll catch you, I always do.”

I’m an okay dad, I’m averagely strong, and I catch her every time she jumps. How much more Jesus.

I was thinking about this this week when I was praying. I said something like, God, I’m worried about XYZ. I ‘m worried if I do this thing I’ll fall flat on my face. And I thought about this verse.

Don’t you know me at all Clint, even after all this time.... Think of all the things you’ve heard me say. Think of all the things you’ve seen me do.

Don’t be troubled, Trust me. I am with you, trust me

Where in your life are you having trouble trusting? Where do you feel like that little kid, standing on the table, getting ready to jump. And you want to, but you are so nervous. What if this is the time you fall?

Hear God’s words over you. I have been with you for such a long time. Think of all the ways you’ve seen my power and authority before. The words and the works. Trust that I am with you now, that I am always with you. Don’t be troubled, trust me. We are in this together.

Who we are (12-14)

Because Jesus is with us, the Father is with us. Look at verses 12-14

John 14:12-14 “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.”

As God’s chosen people we can trust not only that God is with us, but that God will work through us to bring Glory to himself.

We are a continuation of the Mission. The Father sends the Son. The Son, out of love is obedient to the father. The Son, makes the way for us to draw close, bringing Glory to the Father. And now we are invited into this relationship. We get to be apart of the love the Father and Son share, we are being invited into this intimate relationship, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

He Guides us (15-21)

Advocate (15-17)

Look at verse 15-17

John 14:15-17 ““If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, to help us. The Holy Spirit, dwells in us, uniting us with the Father and the Son. We are invited into this very real relationship with God. We can trust him, because he is always with us.

And the Holy Spirit isn’t an idea, or a metaphysical concept, or a philosophy, Holy Spirit is a person, and helps us in our day to day life.

The word used here is Advocate. The greek work was used in legal matters, to describe someone who came to your defense, who produced evidence and provided legal advise, someone who was on your side and was their for you. The Holy Spirit is our advocate. The spirit empowers us, it gives us things like strength, patience, courage, peace. The spirit offers advice and counsel. There have been many times when I am praying about something asking for wisdom, and then a solution will “present” itself.

Sometimes it might seem like a coincidence the way things work out.

William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1940s, is well known for saying, 'When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't, they don't.

The Holy Spirit comes to our defense and makes things happen.

And if you are really wanting to take some extra time and get to know the Holy Spirit, come to the Alpha Holy Spirit Day on the 25th. We will learn all about the this wonderful gift. Jesus has gifted us his spirit, because he loves us.

Not Orphans (18-19)

Verse 18-19

John 14:18-19 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

We can trust Jesus, because he hasn’t left us alone. He didn’t peace out, go up to heaven, and expect us to hold on without him. He continues to lead us, to guide us, to pray for us, to advocate for us, to dwell with us through his Holy Spirit.

My first real job was working at a grocery store. One of my managers would give me a task list, and then go sit in the office for the rest of the day. The other manager would tell me what WE were going to do that day. He would then work right along side of me. Helping me when I needed help, correcting me when I needed to be corrected, laughing with me, hearing about my hopes and dreams for the future. I loved working with him because he was with me.

How much more is Jesus with us. John 14:14 “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” You can ask, he is right there, turn to him, just like I’d turn to my boss all those years ago and ask a question, ask for help. He is right there.

If you are like me, this is easy to forget. We follow an invisible God who interacts with us through his Holy Spirit. If we run on autopilot, its easy to miss God’s gentle leading in our lives

It’s vitally important for us as followers of Jesus, to create space in our day to interact with the Holy Spirit. As we begin our mornings with prayer, as we check in with God in between meetings, on our lunch break, as we worship when we are in our cars, as we read and reflect on scripture, as we practice gratitude at the end of our day, as we do these little spiritual practices, what we are really doing is creating space in our lives to know the Holy Spirit. To live that future reality of being with God, right now.

When we practice a spiritual discipline we are trusting that God is with us, and as we create space, we will grow to know him more and more. The more that we interact with him the more that we begin to understand that Jesus is always dwelling with in us.

We are with each other (20-21)

Look at verses 20-21

John 14:20-21 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.””

Jesus is in the Father, and you are in Jesus. You are immersed in the trinity. The Son has made the way for you to interact with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is our reality, it’s the future, right now.

Conclusion

We can trust Jesus because he dwells with us. He has been there every single minute of every single day. There is nothing that we have been through that he hasn’t also been through.

He understands us like no one ever will. He loves us, the real us, the us he created us to be, free from masks. With him, we have a place, we belong.

He not only shows us how to live, but he lives that life for us, and then through us. We aren’t alone.

So where in your life do you feel like you are doing things alone? Where do you feel like an orphan, where do you feel like you need an advocate? Where do you need direction and guidance....where is life is chaotic right now.

And again, this isn’t about someone else. This isn’t about the person sitting next to you, this isn’t about your friend, this is about you. Jesus is inviting you to trust. He looks at you and says, don’t worry about that other person, you follow me.

Can you do that? Can you choose to trust him. To spend time, to dwell, to linger, to let him bring you to the place that he has prepared. He desires for you to know him even more than you already do. He’s excited to dwell with you.

Let’s take some time to meet with the Holy Spirit.

Ministry Time

Take some time to Dwell

Chaos of life

Don’t be Troubled

Bring that peace and hope for the future

Advocate

Experience the Holy Spirit

Feel like and orphan- know that you are not alone, that you are safe, because Jesus is good