The Exclusivity of Christ

Preparing a Place

a troubled heart

is a troubled heart indicative of sin?

If so, the Christ sinned:

John 11:33 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

John 12:27-28 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The problem Jesus is addressing is a reality of living in a fallen world - we will be (and realistically should be) troubled in our hearts regarding this fallen world.

It would be a normal thing for one who is redeemed to consider the state of the fallen world to be upset or agitated and even at times to experience fear in the midst of this fallen world.

however, there is a solution and response given to us in order to both challenge and overcome our being troubled.

a solution to troubles

Believe and hope in the Godhead

Belief in God is realistically the most accurate and easy step in the antidote to troubles - The disciples He is talking with with believe in God the Father, but Christ says go one step further - believe in Me.

remember who He is talking to - these Jewish men know who God the Father is - He has set them aside as Jews - He has been their God and they have been His people

They know the promises of God - they know the fulfillment and provision of God throughout their history - but why is that not enough

James 2:19 - 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Romans 1:18-20 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Psalms 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.

belief in God is an easy thing - unless you are actively seeking to deny Him and live in sin

Knowing that there is a God is simply not enough - redemption comes from accepting His offering of His son to overcome the world -

John 16:33 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Eternal peace does not come through a “belief” in a god

Consider the common practice of Moral Therapeutic Deism and it’s 5 core principles:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

The problem with this belief - you are lost in your sin -

Jesus offers comfort in the recognition that the Godhead has provided a way of redemption through Christ alone. God the Son has taken upon Himself our sin and paid our debt, there is no other way and

You eternity rests on the question - was Jesus telling the truth, or was He a liar?

If He is telling the truth then He is the Messiah that has come to take away the sins of the world

If He is lying, then what’s the point of any of this, we are all still lost in our sins and guilty before God without a chance for redemption as we all fall short.

a saviors promise - intimacy with our savior

He has gone to prepare a place -

Illustrate - the Jewish wedding

Consider the intimacy of what is being stated -

This is not a God who is far off - this is not a God who set things in motion and stepped away - this is not a God who is disinterested in the happenings in your life - this is not a God who does not have plans for you.

This is a God who so loved you, He took upon Himself flesh in order that His just nature would be completed by sacrificing Himself for you.

This is the God we are speaking of - this is a God of exclusivity - a God of Justice - and a God of Love

The Way, The Truth, The Life

Confusion of the disciples - this isn’t what they thought it was going to be

as much as they understand there is a driving misunderstanding -

Peter’s issue in John 13:36-38 36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

The expect Christ to establish His kingdom right then…drive out Rome, set up His throne and they will be right there to reign with Him....

Sure it’’s a bit self serving, but they are basing it on their understanding of what God has revealed and what they want to see.

They don’t understand the reality of the impact of Sin and God’s actions of justice. Sin has to be dealt with…that is the purpose of Christ’s first coming.

They don’t understand nor do they realize what is happening in front of them.

It’s easy to blame the disciples and condescendingly view them.

However: we get confused all the time -

Nationally - sometimes it seems like we are on this ride and we can’t get off. Things seem extremely heated, culture seems to be heading a direction that confuses us as to how we got here.

I’m like most, I pontificate and muse based on what I understand and attempt to make meaning of it…similar to the disciples I think at a national level it is worth it to say, my heart gets troubled

Locally - the airway heights page - crime and car prowlings have gone crazy. - In Spokane, since I’v been back I think there were 4 or 5 murders in the county, including a mother and daughter right down the road from us.

Again we pontificate and muse as to what we understand, but still find ourselves troubled at the state of affairs in the community.

Family - in our own families there is and can be constant unrest. sinfulness of children that we know, know better. Abusive spouses and parents, drug abuse, pornography addiction…depression…we know the drumbeat all too well.

with this one, because it hits so close to home, we often find ourselves lost without a clue as to what to do…our hearts are troubled.

in all these situations we have an expectation of what God should do…yet often our expectations do not match the reality of what He is doing. Sometimes we can’t even fathom what is going on.

Thomas asked the pressing question - “we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Contrast Christ’s statement to the disciples with that He gave the Pharisees back in John 8:14 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

Jesus is speaking that only the disciples know where He is going or where He has come from…this is in stark contrast to those outside of the church -

Illustrate - it is like trying to get directions from someone who has never been to the location or even read the map of how to get there…only the disciples of Christ are privy to the directions and the way.

However, sometimes we get confused - we are speaking of spiritual things in a fleshly world.

for us a derivative of this might be - “God what the heck is going on? I have no idea what you are doing?”

Christ answers the larger question at work with Three distinctives

The large question - God is doing something bigger than we know or can fathom - this is the driving force behind what is going on for the disciples. In response to answering how to comfort a troubled heart Jesus start with what we covered above and goes further -

I am going to prepare a place for you, and i will come again and take you to myself that where I am you may be also.

Has not abandoned us, forsaken us, or left us alone (more on this when we go a little further in understanding the Holy Spirit.

Finding comfort in the Three distinctives:

The Way: In a world filled with paths, Jesus is the Path

the cultural counter - all paths lead to the same summit; as long as you are a good person (although no one ever wants to define what a good person is if it leaves them out)...

Jesus’ statement is exclusive…there is no other path, there is no other way to get to the place I am preparing for you…I am the way.

what is He the way to?

look at what He says - He is preparing a place for us that will be with the Father. He is the only way to the Father, the only way to be in right relationship with the Father but further, the only way to spend eternity with the Father

The Truth: I want you to hear something now that we will go deeper into when we get there in John’s Gospel: John 18:37 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

we often would miss what is happening here with Pilate - Jesus is clear, those of the truth listen to Christ…Pilate’s retort, convicts him of not being of the truth.

Much the same now…many desire to determine their own “truth.” you know what’s amazing about esteeming your own truth, you can shift it however you please in order to accommodate whatever you want.

Not so for the disciple of Christ…He is Truth.

God’s revelation of the sinfulness of man and our hopelessness in that sinful state, results in a sin debt we owe that we can’t pay.

He is the living, breathing revelation of God the Father to humanity.

Hebrews 1:1-2 puts it as: 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world

He is the full revelation of he grace and truth of God: John 1:17-18 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world

The Life:

Again we are seeing Christ refer to Himself as the life

John 11:24-26 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Apart from Christ there is no life - there is only death and eternal separation from God -

No one gets to the Father - except through Christ.

Seeing Jesus means seeing the Father - Jesus and the Father are one. More on this next week

For our sake - the exclusivity of Christ - speaks to the reality that there is no other way to life, to heaven, to forgiveness, to salvation but through Christ. There is no other way to fulfill your purpose but through Christ

We were Created in the image of God - tarnished by sin - the only way to be reborn into the relationship with God we were designed to be in is through Jesus Christ/