John 14:1-6
Notes
Transcript
I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life...
I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life...
Good evening my friends, hope you’ve had a wonderful day.
Tomorrow is an important day, it is the celebration of the Independence of our country.
We are at 248 years of freedom, freedom from the oppression and rules of another country across the Atlantic.
Freedom to worship, freedom to govern ourselves and the freedom to trust God and God alone.
It is indeed a special time…I thank our God for our country’s fore-fathers who put their life on the line to achieve freedom.
And so we are here tonight back to the Great I Am’s of Jesus..
And tonight we are in chapter 14 as Jesus tells us that He is the way, the Truth and the lie.
Now Jesus is with his disciples in the Upper Room, this is the night before his crucifixion, just a few hours before his arrest.
So it is at a special time, it is here that Jesus is speaking and encouraging the disciples before their world is turned upside down.
They will not have a complete understanding of what Jesus is doing through the cross until after the resurrection.
So in the hours to come, it will be challenging for them, but soon they will know and they will be blessed.
After this week, there is only one more Great I Am saying I am the True Vine in John 15.
But for today, listen to Jesus
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 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? 3 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. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can 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 except through me.
So remember, they are in the upper room and Jesus is teaching them, encouraging them and trying to get them ready for the moments to come...
Let look at what Jesus says
Verse 1 John 14:1
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
Listen to this, there is a command here, let not your hearts be troubled… he knew their world was about to be shaken, so he is telling them to not all their heart or life to be intimidated by the situation at hand.
Consider my friends how many times, a situation arose and we felt like the rug of life was pulled out from under our feet. We didn’t know what to do...
We felt helpless.... here knowing the disciples will have the wind knocked out of their sails, feeling helpless he says let not your hearts be troubled.
Then He says believe in God, believe also in me...
The phrase believe in God is imperative in the Greek, there is a thrust to it, active, continuing effort, You have believed in God, or trust is a better word
You have trusted the Father, so trust me… The disciples are troubled by Jesus telling them that his departure, it is at hand. In spite of all this, keep on believing and trusting.
Listen in the world we live, we do not understand all that happens in and around our lives. We do not know why bad things happen to good people. But can we keep on trusting, placing our faith in God in spite of it?
Yes.... Jesus says you should keep on trusting on me as well...
Why can we trust Jesus? He is the Son of God, He is the second person of the Trinity. He is God. We can trust the Son because we have trusted the Father. We cannot really separate them, if we trust one person, we trust all.
Right?
Now verse 2 John 14:2
2 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?
The idea of a the house is something that is recognizable in Jewish culture. The house represented the home, the dwelling of the family.
Jesus says in my father’s house are many rooms.
The house was always built to take are of all the family members, please see there is room for all here.
But the “house” here, we know refers to heaven. There is room for all. Just as the Jewish father has prepared for his family so our family has prepared for us.
Now some versions use the word mansions, The Greek word was translated in the Latin Vulgate as mansiones, which I do not think is the best word, some today we are tied up in the prosperity gospel preachers stretches this in a way which is not consistent with Scripture.
God has not promised us wealth and a fine house in heaven. No he has promised us a place with him. A dwelling or abiding place with the father.
The truth is that God’s domain has a place for all those who put their faith and trust in Him.
And then Jesus tells them securely if it were not so, would I tell you I am going to prepare a place for you.
Jesus going to the cross, the grave and the resurrection is his preparation for His dwelling place for His disciples, and all of us who follow by faith.
But listen, Jesus work, he is not renovating the dwelling place of God. Like it was incomplete or something… No, Jesus is in the business of leading people to the Father.
And Jesus asserts this by saying…If it were not so… this phrase really is the way to speak of it in the affirmative… It is I wouldn’t have told you if it were not true....
The place of heaven is the hope that resides in each of us that we have the joy of dwelling with our Father and all those who have gone before us.
Verse 3 John 14:3
3 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.
Here is something unique, there is a look at the second advent of Jesus. Jesus says plainly that if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to my self.
We would refer to this as the rapture of the church. Jesus will return and gather his church for himself as a beautiful bride.
The whole purpose is simple, that we may be, reside, dwell where He is...
Glory, and give God thanks...
Now lets look at verses 4 and 5 as a whole/...
4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Now here in verse 4, Jesus says plainly, and you know the way to where I am going?
Jesus has been teaching them about the way already. Do you remember when He was teaching them about the gate to the sheepfold?
Jesus said plainly I am the gate to the sheep fold and you will come in and go out and fine pasture,
Listen to John 10:9
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Coming to the door, to the one who is the gate, Jesus a person finds life, one finds salvation. The rest is the blessing of being in the sheepfold.
My friends, every person wants pasture… it is the time of peace, stability, hope and pure rest. But most are looking for it in what they can do or provide for themselves.
Jesus is the one who provides true rest and hope.
Now just as Jesus says this, we find Thomas is quick to provide an answer...
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Thomas is the doubter, we know this, ...later he will not believe until he sees and and touches Jesus after the resurrection. it is like he cannot trust anything or anyone until he experiences it..
And here uncertainty is there for Thomas, fear perhaps has set in quickly and he says “We as he is speaking for the group”…we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way...
I think here that he knew Jesus was talking of the Father’s house, but did not understand how to get there.
Now we might tend of pick on ole Thomas, but there are times we are “spiritually dull,” we do not have the answers at times to things we know or have a working knowledge off..
Thomas just wants to make sure they know… and Jesus replies to him and for all to hear.
Jesus says… I am
I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by me...
When Jesus says here that He is the “I am” he is expressing his identity, his divinity..
I am the way. Thomas you want to know the way.. it is I. I am the way.
All through the gospels, Jesus has conveyed the message that He has come from the Father, having come from the Father, he most certainty knows the way back to the Father.
Jesus role is the one who leads people to the Father. The Father is seen as away from us, we cannot get to him unless we undertake the journey allowing Jesus to lead the way.
Jesus leads His followers along a pathway that leads to truth, not just a form of truth, but to “The Truth” The truth here is the one that fulfills the OT. Jesus reveals the truth and the real God.
Let me share two verses with you…John 1:17 and John 5:33.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
And the way and the truth, it leads to the final conclusion of life. Jesus is life John 1:4
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
He alone is able to give “life” to all those who place their faith and belief in Him.
Think of it like this, in our sin we were in darkness, we were blind and dead in our relationship to God.
The way to the Father requires a revelation, the revelation brings out how Jesus fulfills the role as not just a revealer but a life giver.
He is the way, the truth and the life.
But secondly Jesus points out that he is the only way to the father.
Jesus is a singular way, not just one of many ways that people want to subscribe too.
His incarnation into the world was for the simple task of showing the way. His death forever provided the way to the Father, ensured people could know God and his resurrection secures our passage to Him at death and ultimately the rapture of the church.
gloryu
As Paul told us, we do not have to be sad, ignorant, as the one who had no hope, we have hope because we know the way, truth and the life.
Praise be to our God...
