Truth Be Told

Jn13:33 “33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”

Love as I have loved you (Jn13:34)

Jn13:34 “34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

How did He love?

sacrificially

loved his own until the end

loved those who would abandon him, would deny him, would betray him

What were the results going to be to their love of others (Jn13:35)?

Jn13:35 “35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””

This all leads up to tonight’s passage. They had to be discouraged, He just told them again, He was leaving. He had already told them He was returning to the Father.

They would need some comfort, some peace so let’s get to our passage tonight

Passage of assurance and comfort

John 14:1–2 NASB95

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3–4 NASB95

3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.”

John 14:5–6 NASB95

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

In one sentence give a summary of this section.

Is there a command or commands in this passage?

Is there an assurance, or assurances in this passage?

Bonus question worth an “attaboy” what is prepared in “My fathers house?”

We will come back later and talk why that is significant later

A command to calm the troubled heart

John 14:1 NRSV

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

They had reasons to have troubled hearts

Told them he was leaving them

Told them one would betray him

Told them all would deny him by leaving him. - Peter would verbally deny him

So of course they

Jesus was about to leave them, but they too were about to leave, all would scatter, one would betray, one deny, yet he says do not let your hearts be troubled believe in God and believe in Me also. Believe in the midst of a troubled life.

Do you have troubles with belief in the middle of a troubled life at times?

Most will look at this as a command, a few take it as an imperative, that they should, top being troubled, or “set your heart at ease.”

Spurgeon said: “He takes no delight in the doubt and disquietude of his people. When he saw that because of what he had said to them sorrow had filled the hearts of his apostles, he pleaded with them in great love, and besought them to be comforted.”

I see you so I can trust you. Now I call You to believe in Me when you don’t see Me. You believe in the Father don’t you? Well believe in Me like you do the Father. That should bring you comfort.

The words believe in me is a command (authoritative order) as some want to make it an imperative (of vital importance; crucial), while others indicative (expressing simple statement of a fact); Yes Jesus is calling for his Disciples to continue to believe the fact and that is is crucial to do that, and is commanding them to do it and doing it with authority, believe in Him for it will bring calm to their troubled hearts.

Reasons for calming

John 14:2–3 NKJV

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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

What do you notice in this verse, how did Jesus speak, past, present or future tense (v.2)?

Peace for a troubled heart

1 in my Fathers house in Heaven there are many rooms

2. I go and prepare a place, (will come back to that in a few minutes so hold onto that please

3. If I go, I will return. Now that will bring calm to a troubled heart too, would it not. I’m going, I want you to believe even when you don’t see me, why? Because I’m coming back; and in My Fathers house there in plenty of mansions there!

The Cross picture here

Something to consider when you “go to the store” do you just go or do you plan?

Jesus was not taken to the cross, it was purposed (Jn12:27); It was planned, He went there willingly to take on the sin of the world.

The place Jesus went was not to heaven to prepare a place, a dwelling place, a mansion, that was already done, it was a cross, the place of reconciliation between man and the Father. So that like Morrison said.

“They thought is death was an unforeseen calamity. Christ taught them that it was the path of His own planning.”

that lead to

I will come again to receive you to Myself! - He promised if they believe Him as they believed in the Father, that would bring them comfort to the troubled hearts. This would speak of His resurrection but also of the coming of the Holy Spirit that He had mentioned and would soon mention again and would be sending to them.

Next phrase “that where I am you may be also”

Heaven is not about the streets of gold or pearly gates (Rev21:21), or even to be in the presence of the whole body of angels; it is to be in the presence of Jesus for all eternity; to be with Him! Oh what a comforting promise that is for a troubled heart.

The way for a calm heart

John 14:5–6 NASB95

We cannot get on Thomas for not understanding. He was not doubting, he was honest. He did not have spiritual eyes at this time, he saw things in a literal way. Jesus is speaking spiritual things they did not yet understand but they would when He sent the comforter to them who would lead them into all truth (Jn16:13).

The exclusivity of Jesus is seen in (v.6); who was Jesus speaking to?

He says He is the Way, what is the way He is going?

Jesus didn’t say He would show us “a way”; he said he is “the” way. - That is pretty exclusive wouldn’t you say?

If Jesus says He is the way, what does that eliminate?

Then He said, “and the truth.” - He did not promise us “a” truth He said he “is” the truth.

If Jesus is the truth does it matter if we believe it or not?

And then “the” life. He did not offer the secrets to life, he offered life, eternal life to those who believe in God and in Him, now won’t that bring comfort to a troubled heart?

What kind of life does Jesus offer when you look at (v.6) when He says he is “the” life?

Thomas A Kempis said this:

“Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth in which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope.”

The exclusivity of Jesus “no one” comes “but through me” other versions say except through me”

Nope not through the temple

Not through any system of works

Not through any giving

Not through some special prayer

The only way is through the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ. He is the pathway to the Father, the one and only True God in heaven.

Many can profess Jesus as “a God” or “a way to heaven” but fall short of saying he is the only way to heaven for they believe there are many ways to heaven. Scripture is clear there is only One God and only One way, for Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life and no one enters except through Him.

Think about this, if Jesus were not the only way, then Jesus is not who He claimed to be and he is a liar and and not a god at all, not a prophet at all, and must be a madman or a lying devil and should be discounted entirely. For there is no middle ground at all. Either he is liar, lunatic or Lord, but cannot be all. You pick!

You accept all, or you accept none, there is no smorgasbord; we don’t get to pick and choose our God, we accept Him on His terms or we don’t get Him at all.

Dod’s said it like this:

“The Christian faith will receive anyone who comes through Jesus. Jesus said, ‘through Me, it is not ‘through believing certain propositions regarding me’ nor ‘through some special kind of faith,’ but ‘through me’” - - - we have to accept Him, go through Him as He is, God in the flesh and come to Him that way. for He is the Way the Truth and the Life.