The Way, Truth, and Life

Intro

To say that we live in troubling times doesn’t necessarily set us apart from any other era in history: there has always seemed to be plenty of things which make any time in history a troubling time. This is true both from a corporate sense as a world, a country, a state; but it is also true from a personal sense. Human history is full of troubling times, for reasons both inside and outside of us.

In our text this morning, we encounter Jesus and his disciples in troubling times; yet here Jesus answers all of the reasons for trouble. Jesus shows us that through faith in him we can find peace with God, both in this life and in the life to come.

Jesus is the only Way to experience true peace with God

This world is deeply distressed

John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Jesus is speaking to his disciples at a very troubling time. It is not wrong to say that the times are troubling, for the Scriptures have already said that Jesus himself is troubled in heart twice during this final week leading up to his crucifixion, and we haven’t even gotten to Gethsemane yet.

When Jesus says, “do not let your hearts be troubled,” he is acknowledging that there are many reasons why they would be troubled. In the moments leading up to this statement, Jesus has just

Declared that one of the twelve apostles is a liar and will betray Jesus soon

Told them that he is going to a place where they are not able to follow him

Declared that Peter, the leader of the 12, is going to deny Jesus 3 times

The tone of the evening has gotten dark, and the situation has become heavy. In a very real sense, we can imagine that the disciples hearts have become quite troubled. They are surrounded by circumstances, both inside and outside themselves, that would lead them to be troubled.

Think about it from Peter’s perspective: you’ve just learned that one of your most trusted friends is a traitor, that Jesus is not going to claim the throne like you anticipated, and the man you have given everything to now says he is going away. Worst of all, he just told you that you are about to sin grievously by denying him three times.

Is this not all great reason for inner turmoil? And isn’t the reason for all our turmoil this: that we live as a broken and sinful people in a broken and sinful world? When we really break down our anxieties, concerns, and troubles, isn’t it really that we will be rejected because of who we are or what we’ve done?

Illustration:

Application:

In a very real sense, I am sure that we can relate with Peter and the other disciples here. We walk as disciples of Jesus with countless reasons for trouble in our hearts. The roads that we all walk are littered with reasons for turmoil, both internal and external. We are constantly offered reason for fear and anxiety in the news, we experience dysfunction in our families and friends, we fail at work or in our personal goals, and worst of all, we find ourselves sinning against the God who we love and desire to follow. Does this not often lead for our hearts to be troubled, as the disciples began experiencing in this moment?

We are constantly made aware that things are broken, and that we ourselves are broken. We find that we, just like the disciples, are surrounded by troubled without and within.

And yet, aware of all of the reasons for trouble, Jesus speaks a word of peace: do not be troubled. How can Jesus do this? Isn’t this like someone telling you not to worry when you have tons of reasons to worry?

Jesus can tell us not to be troubled because he knows something that answers our troubles: he is preparing a place for us.

Jesus is preparing a better place for us

John 14:2–3 “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? 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 Jesus comforts his troubled disciples: there is room in my Father’s house for you. This is a message of acceptance with God, that despite all of the troubles they are currently facing, they will be accepted into God’s household as sons.

Jesus here is giving them a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason for hope when their own prospects are as dark as night. When it seems to them like everything is caving in, unravelling, and falling apart at the seems, Jesus provides a word of optimism. Though it is true that the fellowship of the apostles has been breached by a betrayer, and that the messiah is about to die and leave them, and that even Peter is going to sin in a horrible way very soon, everything is still going according to plan.

Jesus here reveals that when he leaves, it won’t be to nowhere. This isn’t the end, but merely the beginning. Jesus is going back to his Father, and when he goes, he goes to prepare a place for his people. These people, even these that are surrounded by so many worries and concerns, should have hope for their future in the Father’s house, because Jesus himself goes to prepare the room.

To a people who fear enmity with God, Jesus paints a picture of peace with God. The end of their journey will not end in being cast out, but in being brought in. It does not end with them as slaves, but as sons, even having their own rooms in God’s house!

Jesus’ message is clear: there is hope for peace with God when all is said and all is done.

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Application:

Perhaps this is a message that you need to hear this morning as well. Perhaps you have found yourself in a rather bleak picture without much hope for how all of this is going to end. Perhaps you are surrounded by troubles both inside and out and don’t see how any of this is going to end up getting any better than it is; perhaps you fear that things are only getting worse, and there isn’t any escape from this dreadful spiral into misery.

Friends, Jesus speaks to you through his word: if there wasn’t a place for you in the house of God, would Jesus have told you that he goes to prepare a place for you?

You have plenty of reason to doubt yourself, I am sure. When you consider your own position, who are you to hope for a room in God’s house?

But what reason to you have to doubt Jesus? On what grounds do you call him a liar when he tells you that he is inviting you to live with him in his Father’s house? Count on this: there is a room in God’s Kingdom for all who belong to Jesus Christ, and you are no exception if you trust in him.

And after Jesus saying that he is going to come back and bring them to himself, he makes another statement which was a bit too much for Thomas to take in the moment.

Jesus is one with the Father

Thomas: John 14:4–7 “And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.””

Here we learn a very important point, one that is central to the hope that we are being offered in this passage: Jesus is one with the Father. Jesus can offer us a future that is full of hope and peace with the Father because Jesus is one with the Father. That is not to say that they are the same person, but that they are completely united in will — what the Father wills, Jesus wills; and what Jesus wills, the Father wills.

The book of Hebrews hits on this same point when it says,

Hebrews 1:3 “(Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

So when Jesus says that he goes to prepare a room for his disciples, it is the same as saying that the Father is welcoming those same disciples into his house. Jesus is not going to convince the Father to let us in, but to prepare a place for us in agreement with the will of the Father.

Because Jesus is uniquely united to the Father in this way, he alone can stand as the Way to peace with the Father. That is why Jesus says to the question of Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.”

This claim to exclusivity is offensive to many who believe there are many paths to God. This claim must be offensive to that view, but Jesus did not say it in order to offend. He said it simply because it is true.

Jesus knows that there is no other way, no other truth, no other life than the one that has been revealed in him. Jesus is soon going to return to his heavenly Father, and only Jesus can provide the way for his people to join him there. In fact, bringing these people to God’s house is the reason for his incarnation in the first place! And so Jesus speaks the truth in love, even when it might offend those who like to imagine a broader road to heaven.

Jesus is one with the Father, and he is united to him in a way that no other human can claim. Jesus is uniquely positioned as the way to God, and because of this, Jesus can offer hope for everyone who believes in him.

This is how Jesus answers the trouble of Thomas; but Thomas is not the only one troubled here. Next, Phillip speaks out of the trouble of his own heart.

Phillip: John 14:8–11 “Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

I believe we can relate with Phillip here when he says this. Jesus is claiming to be one with the Father, and so he is promising hope when it seems like the world is crumbling. I have to give Phillip some credit here and imagine that he is so badly wanting to believe this is true, and that he does believe it, but he is desperately seeking for assurance. I am reminded of the father of the boy with an unclean spirit, who cried our to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Do you ever feel what Phillip seems to be feeling here? Do you believe Jesus, and desperately desire what he promises you, but desire for something more tangible to see or touch to know that it is true? This is a weakness of the flesh, but a relatable weakness, and one that we all experience at times.

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Jesus answers Phillip not by causing the Father to visibly appear, but to appeal to the need for faith in the matter. Jesus appeals to the faith that Phillip already has, and to consider words that Jesus has already spoken and the works that Jesus has already done. It is apparent in the words and works of Jesus, and the belief is already present in the faith that Phillip has. It is this faith, this hope in what cannot be seen or touched that Jesus commends Phillip back to.

This reminds me of what the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Romans,

Romans 8:24–25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Application:

As we continue to walk through this life with all of its many troubles and difficulties, we have the same need as Phillip: we need faith. There is hope for the future for all who trust in Christ, but hope is not seen. We must consider Christ, and the words that he has spoken through the Scriptures. We must consider the works that he has done, and how these all have proven that he is in fact one with the Father, just as he claimed to be.

We must cling to Christ in faith and in hope, and where this is lacking, we must ask for new strength to persevere.

Jesus is one with the Father, and so we can have confidence that he has gone back to the Father to prepare a place for us as well, just as he said he would.

Yet we don’t only wait in hope for the future — the faith we have in Jesus directly impacts our present lives in tangible ways as well.

Jesus causes us to live heavenly lives on Earth

Faith in Jesus brings Jesus-like transformation

John 14:12 ““Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

There are two pieces to what Jesus says here:

Those who believe in Jesus will do works like Jesus does.

This makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it. To believe in Jesus is to follow him, and to follow him is, in some sense, to walk in his footsteps. If we believe in Jesus with our hearts, then our lives will begin to fall in line as well. This is a wonderful concept that most Christians understand, and it helps us to see that our faith is not only awaiting a future transformation but an ongoing and present transformation as well. Our faith is not only reserving us a room in the Fathers house, but it is empowering us to live holy lives in the present age as well.

This is a comforting, empowering message. What Jesus says next kind of jumps off the page at you, and even made me uncomfortable when I first read it

2. Those who believe in Jesus will do greater works that Jesus did

We have to qualify this by saying that we will never be greater, nor more powerful than Jesus. We cannot accomplish our own salvation, let alone the redemption of the world.

And yet, as Jesus said, the degree of power we will receive as believers is staggering.

Jesus says that we will do greater works than these, because he is going to the Father.

As Jesus is with the Father, and as the Father and the Son are united in their will, they send power and transformation to all who believe. The Father and the Son send us the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts through faith, and it is through this Holy Spirit that we see the first fruits of our redemption and our peace with God.

In this sense, our transformed lives serve as evidence that Jesus is actually with the Father and that we have peace with God. God is transforming us even now into the image of Christ, and so we can have strengthened confidence that we will certainly be received into his house as sons when we arrive there.

In a world where there are so many reasons for our hearts to be troubled, we have come to behold a wonderful Savior who brings us peace and hope. Through Jesus, we can know that we have a place in God’s Kingdom as sons. Through Jesus, we have strength in this life to live as God’s sons even now. Through Jesus, we experience true peace and hope.

The importance of asking “in my name”

John 14:13–14 “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

FCF: We live in a world which is at odds with God and is in constant distress as a result.

CFC: Jesus is one with the Father and is the only way for us to be restored to God.

Big Idea: Because Jesus is the only way for us to be restored to God, we should follow him fully.