Untitled Sermon

Look at verse 8, “Lord show us the father and it is enough for us.” Why does Philip ask this question about the father. Why would he be interested in knowing the father. What is so great about knowing the father? Why doesn’t Philip ask Jesus about heaven? Jesus show us what heaven will be like. Show us all the splendid things we can do and have in heaven. Seems like today a lot of people even christians are more focused on heaven then they are on the father. Some people claim to be christian because they think that hell is scary and heaven is wonderful so I must choose heaven. But why does it seem to be a big theme in the Bible that people are searching and yearning to know who the father is. Often begging to see the vision of God. If we look back at we can see Moses begging for God to show him his glory. He doesn’t ask Lord show me more and more of the promise land. He says show me more and more of you. At one point God says they can go to the promise land but because of their sin God will not go with them and Moses said If you don't go with us then I don't want to go. If you are not with us in the promise land then I have no desire to go. The reason Philip asks this question is because he understood just like Moses did, that there can be no higher experience, no greater good, than seeing God as he is, his unimaginable splendor and transcendent glory. He understands that nothing els compares to seeing the father and knowing who he is. Even a place that we would imagine to be perfect and full of joy. So heaven with out the Father isn’t a heaven at all. Imagine going to your friends wedding, you have the food, the cake, the flower girl, the ring bear, but the bride and groom are not there or imagine seeing your favorite band live except they arnt there. You have all the food, the smoke, the lights but you dont have the one thing that makes it all worth it.

Philip is asking the right question. He asks Jesus to show him the father, to give him direct access to the father. He understands that Jesus reveals who the father is but doesn’t know how he accomplishes this. Unfortunately his question shows his lack of understanding on who Jesus really is. In one way Philip and the others truly do know Jesus. They know who Jesus in his flesh is. We see these guys spend almost most all of their time with Jesus. They eat their meals together, sleep in the same place, even work in the same field. They would have had a close intimate relationship with Jesus. As highly as they think of Jesus, they do not yet grasp that in Jesus God has made himself known. To this extent that this idea is beyond their understanding, they do not know Jesus himself very well. If they would have truly known who Jesus is they would have understood that the father has already been reveled to them through Jesus.

In verse 9 you can hear that jesus’ question is filled with sadness,’” have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” This question wouldn’t be so shocking if it were asked by those who oppose Jesus. Their inability to recognize who he is is because they have not been taught by God, they have not listened to the Father. But this question was asked by those who are closest to Jesus. If those who are close to Jesus show similar ignorance of who he is, despite loyalty to him, they show their profound spiritual blindness. This goes to show that being around Jesus ministry for many years doesn’t guarantee the deepest insight into the truth that all of Jesus actions and words support the fact that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father. The whole purpose Jesus has come is so that he could reveal the father, and the disciples missed it. This is why Philips questions makes Jesus sad. See Jesus is the only way to really know the father. Gods plan for us to know him, is through Jesus thats why he says I am the truth and the light and no one can get to the father except through me. Almost in the same way that we would try and understand an artists mind. We would study the way that they chose to reveal themselves to us. Through his or her art. A lot of time people will have other ways they think they know God. Such as tradition, religion, and their imagination. Often times saying things like, “Well my family does it so I do. Or their religion will tell them to do these works or those and you can get to know who God is. Maybe they have even created an image of who God is in their own mind and they think they will know him though what ever things their imagination can come up with. Ive asked a good bit of people why they believe in the Gods that are worshiped in Taiwan and the most common answer that is given is that it is because their parents do, so they do as-well. The reason we dont not know God naturally is because we start in a place of blind rebellion our nature is twisted and broken. Jesus himself says that if you were from God you would know me but you are from the devil and the reason you dont listen to me is because I am telling the truth. If I were telling lies you would find it easy to accept. So We start in a place of not knowing that is why Jesus says that he is coming to make the Father known. It isn’t that God was hiding himself from us, it is that we were totally unreceptive and rebellious. The purpose of Jesus’ coming and the reason he is able to reveal the father to us is because he is the one who undoes our rebellion, our wickedness, and our blindness. So we can not expect to grasp who God is outside of the way that He has chosen to reveal himself which is through his son Jesus.

(so if anyone is going to help us with this they will have to deal with our sin)

(See you only know Jesus if you see that he is connected to the father and you only know the father through Jesus)(the first thing that Jesus says is about to change is that the way to the father is about to be opened because of the cross)(because of Jesus we will know God in a way we never could know before)

(why does the way to the father through christ mean?) (religion is all about finding God on my terms but this shows us that God is the one who makes the connection)(jesus is God reaching out to us) (The door to God can only be open from one side theres only one key hole)

The Fathers Glorification

The second thing that Jesus changes through the cross is bringing glory to the father.

(Jesus question here is to make Philip think about his question. That you cant know one with out the other)(then he gives reasons that he has a totally unique relationship to the father)(he says have you not heard that words that I speak this is God communicating to you through me)

(There is even another reason that I have a completely unique relationship is the miracles you see)(though the teaching of Jesus and the miracles that he did we should get the impression or understand that his relation ship with the father is totally unique and intent with the father)(this appears all throughout the book of John that Jesus is revealing God though his words and miracles this is why he is called the word in )(another wards Jesus is making it possible to know God at a level it was never possible before)(And this brings us to the cross that Jesus is facing now)(Jesus says a little below here that now is the time for him to glorify the father)(now meaning the time he’s going to the cross)(back in chapter 12 Jesus prays and says father glorify your name and a voice from heaven responds I have glorified it and I will glorify it) (so the plan to glorify the father comes in two stages God says I have glorified my name through you son so that is through Jesus te4aching and mioricals he has glorified the father)(now lets pause for a second what does it mean to glorify the father)(To reveal how awesome it really is)(my friends could gloyfy me by only talking about the good about me but thats only half of the picture they could also talk about the bad) ( whats great about glorifying God is that there is no bad side so if you glorify me you cant present the full picture of who I am. You have to present a careful one side of me but to glorify God you want an acurate picture of who he is in full. People always say to take a picture of their good side but with God you dont need to air brush)

(So what has Jesus been doing as he taught and did his miricals? He has been showing how awesome God is.)(but now Jesus says the real glorification is about to beggin) (Jesus is going to be crucified and he says this will be the greatest moment of the fathers glory)(why would that be?)(Because it fully reveals Gods total justice for dealing with sinners with love and mercy)(and nothing makes God look more glorious than that)(right I mean there is nothing more amazing than God)(his love mercy holiness graciousness justice patience that he displays on the cross)(So the thing thats going to tchange about the cross is is that I will cause the disciples to know God on a whole other lever. They will know God through his son and his savoir Jesus)(as we’ve seen the disciples dont really get it yet they dont really see Jesus as who he really is but thats about to change after the cross and resurrection they will get it) (if you dont learn about God through the cross then you know nothing about who God really is)

(if you try and search for God in another way then you will fall short of knowing who he truly is) (even christians sometimes if you ask them what they think the most glories things about him are they may say his grace and his love and those are great things but if you dont see his most glory through the cross then you miss who he is entirely)

A lot of times people will say you can get to know who God is through many different paths doesn’t matter which path you take as long as it leads to God and everyone can have a different path. But we see here that the only way the father has laid out for us to know him is through the cross. Sometimes as christians can focus on the wrong things that we think makes God great. They say God stops the hurt in your life, he will bless you materially, or he promises you life will be comfortable. And of course those things are wonderful and true, everything we have and enjoy does come from God but they are not Gods most glorious. To see God at his most glorious is to see Jesus on the cross.