I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life John 14:1-15
Notes
Transcript
Comforted not Comfortable
Comforted not Comfortable
Comfort as a theme in our Bibles...
In the course of our lives we find a growing need for comfort, especially in the midst of difficult times. It is no surprise, then, the concept of comfort occurs quite often in the Scriptures. One of the earliest examples of this occurs in the book of Job. In the midst of his suffering 3 “comforters” come to advise Job. By the end of the first round of their speeches (Job, chapters 4-14) Job realizes that they had given little or no comfort.
From Genesis to Revelation we hear God speaking words of comfort to us as we go through times of discomfort.
God does not want us to be comfortable, but comforted.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
From Foxes’ Book of Martyrs (persecutions in the Netherlands):
Sixteen protestants having received sentence to be beheaded, a protestant minister was ordered to attend the execution. This gentleman performed the function of his office with great propriety, exhorted them to repentance, and gave them comfort in the mercies of their Redeemer.
As soon as the sixteen were beheaded, the magistrate cried out to the executioner, "There is another stroke remaining yet; you must behead the minister; he can never die at a better time than with such excellent precepts in his mouth, and such laudable examples before him."
He was accordingly beheaded, though even many of the Roman catholics themselves reprobated this piece of treacherous and unnecessary cruelty.
In our text today . . .The disciples have been following Jesus for almost three years. They had seen Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, give sight to the blind - feed thousands. They had heard him proclaim that he was the bread of life - the light of the world - the good shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep - that he was the resurrection and the life - he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”” (John 11:25–26, NASB95)
Knowing all this, hearing all these things - the disciples were still fearful - unsettled - discomforted. They knew what was going on in Jerusalem. They’d heard Jesus speak about His own death. They had just heard Jesus talking about the betrayal of one and the denial of another of those among the disciples, and they became unsettled and afraid.
Peter’s question “Lord, where are You going?” (13.35) and Jesus’ response “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” (13:36)if followed with these words of comfort....
And Jesus says to them the words before us today:
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. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 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’? 10 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. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
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. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
Prayer of Illumination
It’s All About Jesus
It’s All About Jesus
John’s message is this: It’s all about Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith - redirecting our overwhelming concern with the things of this world to the message of the Word...
31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Discomforted Hearts...
Discomforted Hearts...
Have you ever been worried. Have you ever felt insecure. Have you ever wondered how you were ever going to make it through another day - or even the next few minutes? Have you ever felt really uncomfortable about what God is asking you to do? You may even be feeling that way now.
Jesus gives those listening to him reasons that those who follow him can trust him even if it leads to a place as we live our lives of faith to a place that is not personally comfortable.
When our hearts are discomforted, he tells us three things we need to know in order to give us comfort...
He is going to get you to a safe place
He is going to stay with you as he gets you there
He is going to turn those troubles into triumph
Let’s look at each of those three promises.
First, when you are discomforted know...
Your Safe Place
Your Safe Place
Do you know where your safe place is?
A safe place - tornado safety - finding a safe place to weather the storm...
Look at the first few verses here of John, chapter 14. Jesus uses some form of the word place three times. Three times in three verses:
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. 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.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says.
“Believe in God, believe also in me.”
Jesus is our safe place - our refuge and strength in times of trouble...
He is saying, “Put your trust in me because I am sent from God.”
He tells us:
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
We may look at this passage, and think, “Jesus is talking about heaven. He’s saying he’s going to prepare a place for us there where our heavenly Father is - yes - this is true. This place has prepared for us is in heaven.
You might be thinking - I want to go to heaven some day, I don’t want to go today. So, how does all this help me with the trials and troubles and tribulation today?
How does this help me in the middle of all this discomfort I’m facing now?
When Jesus speaks these words to those disciples that evening they were no different from us. They weren’t thinking of going to heaven that day either. Sure, some day, but not that day.
So how do these words help? Well, let’s see.
The Way to that Place
The Way to that Place
We’re told by Emergency Management teams that we need to have an escape plan.
Jesus said to them, in verse 4, “You know the way to the place where I am going,” and in verse 5 we read that one of the disciples, the one named Thomas, said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
That’s when Jesus said, "I AM the way, and the truth, and the life....”
Like Pilgrim in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress we are on our way to the Heavenly City, but along the way there are trials, troubles and tribulations...
Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself to his journey. Then said the Interpreter, "The Comforter be always with thee, good Christian, to guide thee into the way that leads to the city." (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39452/39452-h/39452-h.htm)
You and I are on the way to a place - the celestial city - that Jesus is preparing for us, a safe place, where nothing will harm us or even threaten us. No more sorrow - no more suffering - no more tear - a place of quiet rest It’s the Father’s house, and we will be at home there.
But, in the meantime, while we’re still on the road to that ultimate place, Jesus tells us that, though it may be hard going at times, we don’t travel alone. We are on the way, and if by God’s grace through faith you are trusting in Him....
““[You]have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NASB95).
Here is the one who is Immanuel, God with us teaching us, leading us, guiding us even through the valley of the shadow of death...
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
He’s telling us that he is always with us. Jesus is very careful to make sure we know that he will always be with us.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
So, as the storms in our lives are brewing all around us, Jesus tells us to trust him because not only is he leading us to that place he’s going to get us to that safe place – and, in the meantime, he’s going to stay with us. He is the way, the truth, and our life...
He is the way, in the sense, that the Old Testament Scriptures “served as copies and shadows of the heavenly things (Heb 8:5) pictures of the salvation that pointed to the reality, the truth that Jesus brings - that Jesus is.
He is the truth, the real, the substantial, the fulfillment, all that had been pictured in the Old Testament has come to fruition and flower now in Jesus Christ.
He is the life, because the life of the Father is constantly present in the ministry and words of Jesus.
He is the only way to the Father.
All paths lead to God…in a sense they do…every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…
There is no other mediator. There is no other way into the presence of the Father, to know the Father, to have life from the Father. He’s the only way. Not Mohammed. Not the way of Buddhism. Not the way of Shintoism. Not the way of all the great sophisticated religions of the world; it’s only through Jesus.
Thomas A’Kempis, the author of the book, The Imitation of Christ, puts it this way,
Without the way thou cannot go, without the truth you cannot know, without the life cannot not live. I am the Way which you ought to follow; the Truth which you ought to believe; the Life which you ought to hope for.
à Kempis Thomas. The Imitation of Christ (Kindle Locations 1862-1864).
So in answer to Thomas’ question, “How can I come to know the Father,” the most important question we can ask, Jesus points to Himself and says,
“It’s only through Me.” It’s All about Me.
Unless you come to the Son by God’s grace through faith in the Son you cannot come to know the Father because outside of him there is no place of quiet rest.
But there’s one more thing...
Jesus comforts those who are his in times of discomfort (troubles) by being with us, working in us and through us - by leading us, but then He does something else, something that you may not expect…Discomfort has a purpose...
Discomfort’s Purpose
Discomfort’s Purpose
In a world where “it’s all about me” we sometimes get so focused on the problem instead of the purpose. We’re looking at a little corner of the whole picture instead of stepping back and seeing the big picture...
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
In marriage and family counseling we were taught a technique called ‘reframing’ - viewing a situation from another perspective - putting a different frame around the picture. Instead of seeing something as a difficult situation - see that situation as God working “in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13, NASB95) so Jesus says here...
Reframe those troubles and they become triumphs
Look at verse 12, where Jesus says,
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
Reframe the trials, troubles, tribulation. What if the difficulties you’re going through right now are not simply all about you, but are designed to remind you to get your eyes off you in order to prepare you to help someone else?
Would that make it worth it?
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
You’re out there. Life’s pushing you around. You may even feel like you’re about to get crushed in the squeeze life is putting on you.
But Jesus is going to get you through. He’s going to take you to a safe place, and he is going to stay with you on your journey to that place.
“The works that I do,” he says, “you will do; and greater [works] than these you will do.”
????? What better thing is there than making your trouble double as triumph? And how do you do that? You refuse to waste your sorrows. You take the adversity that you’re coping with right now, and you put in the bank, so to speak. And someday you’re going to draw interest on it. And you’re going to give away what Jesus has given you.
Pay it forward…the comfort and salvation that you have received in all your discomfort is designed to enable you to comfort those who are experiencing any affliction with the same comfort you have received from God in Christ.
You’re going to comfort someone else because you’ve been comforted.
Think of the men and women over the years who have invested their lives in proclaiming the gospel message.
George L. Mackay who went to Uganda. Preaching a crucified, risen, glorified, returning Savior.
Mackay was now left alone, the sole survivor once more of all the mission force, for eleven months, in Uganda. His position was extremely uncomfortable and disquieting, being constantly suspected by the chiefs and king of having some secret understanding with the government of England to obtain possession of the country.
Others who gave their lives in the midst of what we would consider uncomfortable situations yet they found comfort in the one who is “the way, the truth and the life” as they brought the message of the Gospel -
When our hearts are discomforted, he tells us three things we need to know in order to give us comfort...
He is going to get you to a safe place
He is going to stay with you as he gets you there
He is going to turn those troubles into triumph