John 14

Amen. All right. I've got a few more copies. It looks like everybody is here. I'll put those out of my way, so I won't stumble over those.

So we'll look at John chapter 14 tonight, and we'll just sort of look at it in pieces, and when everybody goes to sleep, I'll stop, and then we'll go from there.

But John chapter 14, John records, starting in chapter 12, it's the Holy Week. It's the last week before the cross, the week of the cross, I guess.

And so it starts off in chapter 12, and from chapter 13 through 17, John is recording Jesus' last teachings. Of course, John 17 is Jesus' prayer for himself, for the disciples, and for us.

But he's recording what Jesus is teaching them in those final hours.

As a matter of fact, 13 through 17 are in the final hours while they're in the upper room. And so we get so much out of that.

In our Bible study class, when we finish sort of going through the whole Bible-ish, then we went to Matthew 5 through 7 and got Jesus' teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, which are very important, and I believe are probably a core of what he taught as he taught in different places, and then thought that we ought to go to these chapters and get his final words to the disciples.

If you know your time is coming to end, those final words are going to be important. And so that's where we went next. But we'll start tonight in chapter 14.

We'll start first in verses 1 through 6, and then we'll go on from there. Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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.

And where I go, you know the way. And where I go, you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So we'll stop there for right now and look at what Jesus is teaching them here.

First he says, Let not your heart be troubled. So why would the disciples' hearts have been troubled at this point? Jesus has been telling them that he would die, that the religious leaders, that he would die.

So that's part of it. Chapter 12, he has, actually chapter 11 is when he raises Lazarus from the dead, and the religious leaders want to kill him because so many people are going to Jesus because they've heard about the rising of Lazarus.

They actually also want to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus because of this. So the disciples know that the religious leaders want to kill Jesus and Lazarus.

In chapter 12, Jesus again predicts his death, that he would die. Chapter 12 also, he's in Bethany, and Mary anoints his feet with the expensive perfume or oil.

And Jesus tells them that she has kept this for the day of his burial. So once again, telling them that he would be dying there, that his death was coming soon.

Chapter 13, he washes the disciples' feet, which is the lowest servant's job in the home, the lowest servant that's owned.

And that would have been somewhat disturbing probably. He predicts Peter's denial, and he tells them that one of them will betray him. So there's a number of things that are probably on the disciples' minds and why their hearts would be troubled at this point.

So he starts off, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in me, believe, you believe, you believe in God, believe also in me, is what he tells us here.

So what's the relationship of the Father and the Son? If they believe in Jesus, and they believe in the Father, it's together. You believe in one, you believe in both.

We'll look down the page, starting at verse 7. Jesus teaches them, If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

From now on, you know him and have seen him. So when they saw Jesus, they saw the Father. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, Show us the Father?

So how are Jesus and the Father the same? How are they one? Because later, he will talk about them being in unity, unified as one, and how we can be as one with them as well.

The Father and the Son and the Spirit all have the same character. They all have the same truth. And so you hear from one, you hear from the others. The disciples were blessed to actually walk with Jesus and talk with him.

We know from Moses and other times that no one can see the Father and live. And that's because of our sinfulness. And yet, God in the flesh came to the earth, fully God and fully man.

And so the words that he said, the miracles that he performed, everything that he did was through the Father. He didn't do anything really on his own.

He was following what the Father had told him to. So when they saw the Father, they saw the Son. And when they saw the Son, they saw the Father. So there is one.

He goes on to say, he who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show me, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?

The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.

So when he tells us up here, you believe in God, believe also in me, he's also, after he speaks a little bit more, I believe he explains that, that how he and the Father are one.

When you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you're indwelt with the Holy Spirit. You have the Holy Spirit with you. So he is in you and you have that ability not to be like Christ, sinless, but it's a changed life that we live at that point.

The Bible teaches us that we're a new creation, a new person when we have Christ, when we have the Holy Spirit within us because we have placed our faith in Christ for our salvation.

He will go on later and talk about how we can be at one with the Father and the Son. So there's a unity there. When they saw Jesus, they were seeing the Father.

They were seeing his character and his love and his grace and his mercy. Then he goes on from there, verse 2, he says, in my Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. He goes to prepare a place for you. So I wonder, as I was studying and preparing, I thought, well, what does this look like?

He's going to prepare a place for us. What would that look like? Let me get you to turn with me to Revelation chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21 begins with, and I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

Also, there was no more sea. And then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Then move over to verse 9, chapter 21, Revelation verse 9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me, that's John, and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.

So who is the bride of Christ? It's the church, right? It's the church. So he says, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.

So let's see what he sees. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

But what did he tell, what did the angel tell John he was going to show him? He was going to show him the church, right? The bride of Christ? But what does he see? He sees the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.

So we continue looking at this. Having the glory of God and her light was like the most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And he goes on to describe the gates and which, as he continues, each one is one large pearl with the name of the tribe of Israel, the twelve gates, the twelve tribes.

He also describes the foundations of the New Jerusalem, which have the twelve apostles' names on them. And he also, he talks about measuring it and telling how big it is, how many feet wide and everything it is.

Starting in verse 19, and the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. And he goes on to describe the stones.

And then he goes on in chapter 21 to talk about the streets of gold being pure. So how does all of that have to relate to the bride of Christ, the church? We know, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, that the judgment seat of Christ will come after the rapture.

And we will be judged not for condemnation, but for reward. And it teaches us in 1 Corinthians 3 that our works will be passed through the fire.

And those that pass through will either be like wood, hay, and stubble, and they'll just burn up, or they'll be like precious stones and gold, that kind of thing. I just have to believe that our, as we are, as we see the judgment seat of Christ and our works go through the fire, these precious stones and the streets of gold are going to be what adorn the new Jerusalem.

I just have a feeling that's where Jesus is preparing our place, our dwelling place. It also goes on to say in chapter, is it that one?

It talks about the city had no need for the sun or the moon to shine in it for the glory of God illuminated it and the Lamb is its light and the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light and the kings of the earth bring the glory and honor to it.

So the Lamb is going to be in Jerusalem. Jesus teaches us that He's going to prepare a place for us, verse 3, and 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.

So we know from Revelation 21 that the Lamb is going to be in the new Jerusalem. It makes sense to me that that's where He's preparing a place, a dwelling place for us.

That's what I think He's teaching us here. So He tells them not to be troubled, tells them to believe in God and in Him.

He teaches us that in His Father's house are many mansions or dwelling places and that He is going to prepare a place for us and that we will be with Him.

Then He goes on to verse 4 and He says, and where I go you know and the way you know. Thomas doesn't understand that. I think we wonder why Thomas didn't understand because he's been with Jesus for three years and he has heard the teaching.

I think they've gone a lot of places with Jesus and I think Jesus He knew this was His final destination so He didn't say well we're going to Jerusalem for Passover and then we're going back up to Galilee.

He didn't tell them that. So I think Thomas thought it's their next place of direction is what I think was happening there.

And of course Jesus responds, I am the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except through me, except through me.

Jesus is the only way to the Father. He is the only way to salvation. I think from Genesis chapter 3 when God had to sacrifice an animal for the skins to cover Adam and Eve's shame, I believe at that point they knew that the Redeemer was coming.

We get that in Job. I love that in Job because we know Job came later. It's in chapter 19 where he says I know that my Redeemer lives. And Job knew that when he died he would be resurrected and he would see his Redeemer in his flesh, in Job's flesh.

He knew that he would be redeemed. He knew that. And I think they knew, I think Adam and Eve knew that. everything they knew isn't recorded for us. But I just believe from early on they knew that the Messiah, the promised one, was coming, the Redeemer.

So he is the only way to the Father. I believe in the Old Testament their faith was in the Christ, the Messiah to come. Where we're blessed to know Jesus because he has come.

And we have all of the Bible. So we can know more than what they knew. So he is the only way. It's important for us, in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus asked the disciples who the people say, who did the people say that I am?

And some thought he was a prophet or a teacher and different things, John the Baptist. And then he said, but who do you believe that I am? And Peter speaks up, of course, and says, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus tells him that the Father is the one that gave him that knowledge. That he didn't have that on his own, but the Father gave him that knowledge. It's important for us to know who Jesus is to you.

There are a lot of false religions out there today, and they might believe Jesus is a prophet or a good teacher or a God, but not the God. They'll believe a lot of things.

And in order to have salvation, in order to have faith in him, you got to know who he is. And he's the very Son of God.

And when you see Jesus, you see the Father. There is no difference. And so it's important for us to know the true way, the truth, and the life.

It's so important for us to know Jesus as who he is. So he teaches us that. verses 7 through 11, we've talked about some.

That's where he's telling, explaining further to them that when they've seen the Father, they've seen the Son. When they've seen the Son, they've seen the Father.

And then he goes on to verse 12. We'll skip down to verse 12 from there. Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also.

And the greater works than these he will do because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. So here you have to be careful because the religions that want to name it and claim it and those kind of things, you have to be careful about what Jesus is actually teaching the disciples here.

first he says, verse 12, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also in greater works.

We know that when we come to the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes within us. He gives each one of us at least one spiritual gift, maybe more. And we're to use those spiritual gifts within the church and then as we go out into the community as a part of our witness.

So the works, I believe that what he's talking about here is a lot of that is what we should do. We know from Ephesians 2.10 that those good works have been prepared for us beforehand.

And so there are good works that God has prepared for us that we should be watching for and participating in. And I think those are some of what he has.

Chapter 15 starts off talking about the vine and the branches and how we're to be fruitful. And so each one of us are gifted differently.

And within our giftedness, we should be fruitful in that. Some of that fruit is going to be a harvest of souls. Some of it is going to be in the edification and teaching of the church.

It's going to be in the fellowship of the church and just reaching out to the community. Jesus will go on here to teach us that because of our love for him, the world is going to see that we're his disciples.

And so our love for Christ should grow more and more each day as we draw near to him and see him at work in our lives. And hopefully the world would see within the church the love that we share for each other and would be drawn to him, to the Father.

Then we, you know, when Peter preached after Pentecost and 3,000 came in one day, what a harvest of souls that was.

I think we could see that in that. But for each one of us individually, it's how we're gifted. He's given us talents and abilities, but it's in those spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us, I think, that he's talking about there.

13 and 14, he talks about prayer. Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

So there's a condition that we see there with the asking, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. We know from Matthew chapter 6 with the model prayer that we're to pray according to God's will and not our own will.

And so if we're praying according to God's will, we're praying in the name of Jesus, then we should be able to ask what we desire and it should be done for us.

Look at John chapter 15, verse 7. If you abide in me, that's Christ, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.

So it's in the abiding or dwelling in Christ and it's in the abiding or dwelling in his word that we can pray what we want because then our desires are going to be his desires.

If we're abiding in Christ as he is the center of our life, as we're seeking to grow in Christ's likeness, then we're going to be abiding in him and then abiding in his word.

The word of God is so important. As we look at the history of Israel, what we see is as they had a leader that taught the word and emphasized the word, they came in close fellowship with God.

And then they would have leadership that discarded the word. And we see how quickly they drifted away from the truth. It's so important for us to be in the word, to know the word, and to seek him.

I encourage you as you open your word each day to first pray that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom as you read. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and he will enlighten you on what you're reading and how to use that in your life.

So I believe that the prayer that he's saying here, that way to pray. Because he's also taught them more than in the model prayer than just that we're to pray according to his will, his purpose.

So if we're praying according to what Jesus has taught them then and the Father is glorified, that's what we should be praying for. That the Father would be glorified. Next he says, verses 15 through 18, If you love me, keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

But you know him for he dwells with you and you will be, he will be and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments.

If you love me. How much do you love Jesus? How much do you love Jesus? What we do and what we say should be governed by our love for Jesus.

We realize who he is and what he's done for us. He died on the cross for our sins. He did something that we could not do on our own. When the Father sees us, he sees us as righteous.

And we know ourselves. We know we're not righteous. We know that we have sin in our lives. Even though we're trying to walk with him day by day, we know ourselves.

And yet, yet our love for Jesus should be what guides us and draws us closer to him. When we obey Christ, it's not legalism.

It's out of love. It's what it should be. If it becomes legalism to you, then you need to repent and reacquaint yourself with Jesus. Reconcile back with him.

Because our actions and our words should be governed by our love for him. So if you love me, keep my commandments. Look in verse 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. So once again, what are we supposed to do? If we love him, then we will keep his commandments.

If you go back to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us first that he did not come to do away with the law and the prophets, but he came to fulfill them. And then he goes on in his teaching and says, not only if you murder, but if you're angry with someone without cause, you've committed murder.

And he says the same thing about adultery and lust. If you've lusted after someone, you've already committed. He didn't make it easier to follow the commandments. He made it harder, actually.

So how could we possibly even live for the Lord and express his love that he's shown us to the world? How can we do that?

And he tells us that in the verse above. I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. In our own flesh, we cannot love Jesus as we should. We can't follow his commands as we should.

But when we surrender our will to the Holy Spirit and allow him to work through us and guide us with our conscience and live for him, we pray for him to give us wisdom of his scripture.

That's the way, when we humble ourselves before Christ and surrender to him. That's when we can really know the truth and walk in it. That's how we can love Jesus more and keep his commandments.

We have an enemy. We have one that's out to make us ineffective in our walk with Christ. He doesn't want you to know Jesus, first of all, and he'll do everything he can to keep you from that.

But then Satan will do everything he can. Your faith will come under attack because he wants to make you ineffective as a believer. The world is watching.

They see what we do and what we say. And they want to, but in Christ and with the Holy Spirit, we can live for him and grow in him.

He will not leave us as orphans. He goes on to teach in verse 19, a little while longer and the world will see me no more.

But you will see me because I live and you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in the Father and you in me and I in you.

He who keeps my commandments, who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?

And Jesus answered and said, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. A moment.

Sorry about that. He who does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. He first teaches them that a little while longer the world will see him but then they will see him no more.

He knew that the cross was coming. He knew what laid ahead for him. But then he tells them, because I live, you will live also.

We are studying Romans right now and Paul has been teaching us about how we abide in the Father and the Father in us.

He has been teaching that as well. And he has also taught us about how we, in Romans chapter 6, how we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised in newness of life.

We have that new life that Jesus talked about in verse 6 because of our death to the old self and our newness of life that we walk in.

Scripture teaches us that we are a new creation or a new person in Christ. So we put behind the flesh and we live in the Spirit. So Jesus says that the world will see him no more but that they will see him.

And of course we know that when he, after the resurrection, he was seen for 40 days by his disciples, not by the world, but by his disciples. And at one time by 500 who must have all been believers.

So he teaches us that we are to keep his, if we keep his commandments, have his commandments and keep them, that it shows that we love him.

And that because we love him, that the Father loves us. And so he's taught in these chapters and through 17, it's sort of as a repeating teaching that we'll experience God's love and that we can experience the love of the Father and the Son and that we can experience the unity that they have, that we will have it also.

He also ends that little section by saying, He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.

The world can't understand the Bible. Apart from the Holy Spirit, I don't believe we can discern what the Bible is teaching, the depths of what he is teaching us.

To know God's love and Jesus' love for us and for each other is beyond what I believe the world can know.

And then he continues, These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 things that I said to you.

So the Holy Spirit is going to teach us. And you wonder sometimes, like how did John remember all of this? Chapters 13 through 17.

The teachings that Jesus gave them in the upper room just before the cross. How did he remember all that? But we see here that 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 things that I said to you.

So when we think back about how did they know what to write? Because they didn't write it, I don't think, as Jesus was teaching. How did they remember his words? And I believe it was through the gift of the Holy Spirit that they were able to remember and write these things for us.

Then he says, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled.

Neither let it be afraid. Again, he tells them not to let their heart be troubled. And what does he teach us that he's going to leave them? His peace.

Jesus' peace. And he says it's not peace as the world gives to you that he gives it to them. The world sees peace as not having a conflict.

But we can have peace even through the struggle. Even through the difficulty of life. We can have peace knowing Christ. Knowing his love. Having the Holy Spirit within us who's guiding and directing us.

We can have a peace that the world can't even begin to understand. And so we should stand on that promise from the Lord.

That he will give us that peace that passes all understanding. You have heard me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you.

If you love me, you would rejoice. Because I said, I am going to the Father. For my Father is greater than I. So once again, he's teaching them that he's going away.

But what's he going to do? He's going to come back. They don't understand the resurrection yet. But they will. They've been taught it. But until they've experienced it, they really are.

I think at this point, from what you see the disciples say and how they interact, there's a lot of scripture in the Old Testament, a lot of prophecy about the second coming of Christ.

When he will rule and reign during the millennial thousand year kingdom here on earth. After the tribulation. And so they thought, I believe, that he was going to come in on a white horse and take over Rome and rule and reign at that point in time.

What they missed was that there was also prophecy about his first coming as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. And so I think that's why they misunderstood.

So he continues to teach them that he was going away, but he would come back to them. He says, if you love me, you would rejoice because I'm going to the Father. You think about what Jesus left when he came down as the child.

He left glory in heaven and came down so that we could have a way to the Father. And now I have told you before it comes.

And when it does come to pass that you may believe. You see the change in the disciples after the resurrection. And how bold they were.

So afterwards that they would truly believe. And stand firm in their faith in him. I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me.

But that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. The ruler of this world, of course, is Satan.

And he was coming. He probably thought that he was doing away with Jesus on the cross. Probably didn't even realize what he was doing there. But there is a lot we can learn about the ruler of this world.

His tactics and the way he tries to trick us. And I would just lead you to Ephesians chapter 6, 10 through 20.

So that you can realize, so that you can know who your enemy is. And then how to stand firm against him. Putting on the armor of God.

If we're not fully clothed in the armor of God, then we open ourselves up for his attacks. Interesting thing is after we put the armor on, we're to pray.

So our part in that is to pray. But we're to be prepared. But that the world may know that I love the Father.

And as the Father gave me commandment, so I do. Jesus knew he was coming for the cross. He knew the ultimate reason that he came to the earth was to live that sinless life for us.

That example for us. But to die on the cross. So that we would have the way paid for us to the Father. So we're blessed to be after the cross.

And we know Jesus. And we know of him going to the cross. We have the letters and the gospel to lead us and guide us.

So it should be in our hands to be in the word. And serve him. And seek to know him more. The closer we get to the Lord, the more you're going to love him.

And I just pray that for each of us. That we would just grow in our love for Christ more day by day. Questions or comments? I usually don't teach like this.

I usually ask questions. So it's a little different. Well, let's pray. And then we will be excused for this evening.

Lord, we just thank you for your word. We thank you for how you have taught us. Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice for us. You love us so much that you never turned your face from the cross.

Knowing what was coming. And when I consider your love for us. Your love for me. Consider my sin and how along with David.

I know that my sin is against you, oh Lord. And you only. Lord, I just pray for that relationship for myself and for all of us.

That we would draw ever close to you. That as we open your word each day. That you would teach us. Just show us your love and your grace and your mercy. You teach us that we're to forgive.

And Lord, how hard that is at times. So, Lord, I pray that with you within us. With your Holy Spirit within us. All things are possible.

So, I pray, Lord, that we would truly know you. And love you for what all you have done for us. I thank you for giving John remembrance of all this teaching that you gave us.

In those final hours before the cross. So, Lord, we lift you on high. And we just pray for your divine guidance each and every day.

And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.