John 14:7-15
Through the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Introduction:
Today is the beginning of Holy Week. This is the week that we remember Jesus’ sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is neat that we have been studying through the final hours of Jesus’ earthly life before He was crucified. We saw the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As we remember this week lets not forget that Jesus came for a reason. He came to redeem mankind to himself.
We see a back and forth with Jesus and His disciples throughout this upper room discourse. His disciples are asking questions and Jesus is teaching them of what is going to happen. In this passage we are going to look at we see Philip discussing with Jesus and it seems as though Philip is looking for more information about Jesus.
In Verse 6, Jesus makes it very clear that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no man goes to the Father but by Him. This is what separates Christianity from other religions or cults. Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven. He is the Way! He is Truth! He gives eternal Life, though Faith in Him and His finished Work on the Cross. Jesus made this clear and while doing so, He made sure to make reference of His deity.
This leads us to our passage today.
Notice with me in this passage three keys in this dialogue to help us Know God more.
1 - Key to Searching after God
A. Philip wanted to know more about God. He was someone that forsook all and followed Jesus. He told Nathaniel about Jesus and He came along as well.
Philip went with Andrew when the Grecians wanted to see Jesus a few verses back.
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip has learned a lot on his journey of following Jesus. This instance he is asking Jesus to see the Father.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Philip wants to satisfy his longings by asking to see the Father. He overlooked what Jesus was saying and got held up on one part of his statement. He said, lets see the Father and than I will be satisfied. This reminds me of when you are talking to a child and you’re trying to give them information and they focus on one abstract thing that you said and they completely miss what you are trying to tell them.
I was trying to tell Elly that her puppy is like a little baby and we are training him to go outside to go potty. All she heard was he’s a little baby!
Sometimes I get the impression that Jesus feels this way when He was speaking eternal truth to His disciples and they only understood the temporal or they wanted to approach things their own way.
Philips inquiry sparked more truth from Jesus about who He is and how Philip could know Him more.
**It is always a good idea to ask questions when you are studying the Word of God. The common questions to ask are, who, what, where, when and why? We should always seek the proper context of a passage of Scripture when we are studying it. We are all to be students of the God’s Word.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
All Scripture is inspired and profitable to us. It gives us Doctrine, it reproves us of sin and corrects us and we get instruction on how to live for God.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
As Christians we are to study and rightly divide the word of truth.
** Philip was asking questions and they led to a better understanding of who God is. This is true for us too. If someone says or preaches something that is contrary to Scripture you’re alarms in your head should be going off that something isn’t right. However, that isn’t going to happen unless you know the Bible.
“”Every person on the earth has the innate desire to get to know God. An atheist is not born that way. Nobody is ever born an atheist. When you meet someone who is an atheist, either one or two things is taking place. Number one, they have had some experiences in life that have caused them to believe there is no God. Or, number two, somebody has been messing with their mind and has affected their natural inclination to believe there is a God. Atheism is as unnatural to the human heart as singing is to a turtle; it is unnatural; man naturally has the desire to know God. So he is expressing this desire, he is saying to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father. We want to know God in all of His fullness and in all of His reality."””
Application: When studying God’s Word ask yourself questions and study to find out the answers. This will help you to understand God’s Word and it will deepen your walk with God. Philip sought to know more of God and asked Jesus for help. We should do the same thing.
2. The Key to Believing in Jesus and prayer
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Jesus had been explaining the trinity to the Disciples and showing them that He and the Father are One and that He is sending the Comforter (Holy Spirit) after He leaves the earth.
He tells the apostles that after He leaves they will do greater miracles, not greater in stature but greater in number and reach. When we read the book of Acts we see some of these things.
A. Belief leads to Salvation
Jesus is moving in this passage to the emphasis of our faith. Faith is a vital part to our Christian walk with God. It is “by Faith” that we trust Christ as our Saviour. It is only through Faith and not Works that we attain Salvation.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
** Explain Salvation**
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
B. Belief leads to a life of Faith
“We move from illuminating faith to appropriating faith. Those who finally comprehend the true nature of Jesus will now through the Spirit discover the incredible spiritual power available to them.”
Believing in Jesus leads us to tell others of Him. Perhaps the greatest work is when someone puts their faith and trust in Christ.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Believing in Jesus leads us to pray to Him. 2x it is written to ask, (Pray).
We show Belief in how we live our lives.
Do you live your life by faith in God?
How is your prayer life? Do you pray by faith? Are your prayers in line with God’s will? That He might be glorified? Often times our prayers are for comfort and ease, however, we should be praying for His will to be done as well.
The Model Prayer:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
This was the model prayer that Jesus gave us. Just before this passage Jesus tells us not to use vain repetitions but we are to pray.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
It’s a blessing to know He hears us as we pray according to His will. We know His will through the Word of God.
Our Prayers are to be based off of our Faith in God.
Key is Searching for God
Key is in our Faith in God
Key in keeping His commandments
3. The Key to keep His commandments is to love God
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
If we love Him, we will keep His commandments.
“Secondly, we must obey Him. He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments. Guard my commandments. Treasure my commandments." If we are obedient to Jesus Christ there is no limit to what He is willing to do in and through our life. And, you see, God blesses a church when we are obedient to His commands in scripture. God blesses us as individuals when we learn to obey Him. Obedience is better, the Bible says, than sacrifice. So how do you do the greater works? You pray in His name, you obey His commands.”
Do you love Him.? You see what verse 15 says?
“”"If you love me, keep my commandments." It all stems from love. Love is the foundation of it all. Love is the spring from which obedience flows. I think the real key to the Christian life is right here. I think the real key is loving Jesus Christ. You see, really Christianity is a love affair between the soul and Jesus Christ. By nature I have been a very timid person, and dealing with some of the commands of the Bible have been difficult for me. For instance the command to witness, to tell people about the Lord, has not been easy for me, because of being timid. But, you see, friends, it all boils down to a matter of obedience and obedience is based upon love for Jesus Christ. And so, you see, it is my love for Jesus Christ, not my natural inclination, to be able to tell others about Christ, that causes me ultimately to witness. I love Him, and when I love Him I want to do what He tells me to do. And so, you see, if you want to know the Father you come to know Him through Jesus and through Jesus Christ you do the greater works. And if you're lost and you want to know God and have a personal experience with the God of heaven, you have that experience through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”” - JV
Conclusion: At the Start of Holy Week, lets not forget that in one week they went from the Triumphant Entry to the Crucifixion to the Resurrection! Next Sunday we celebrate the Resurrected Saviour!
Application: This week commit to following after Christ!
3 Take-aways:
1. Key is Searching for God
2. Key is in our Faith in God
3. Key in keeping His commandments is to Love God
3 Action Steps:
Search the Scriptures and study the Word of God
Pray daily according to His will by Faith.
Love God and Keep His commandments
Invitation:
Put those steps in to practice now on Palm Sunday.