Oh, hello.
Hello.
I'm reading from John chapter 14, verse 1 to 14.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God, believe also in me.
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.
And you know the way to where I'm 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, 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.
Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.
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 the Father and the Father is in me?
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.
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.
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.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Well, will you please pray with me as we come to God's Word.
Father, this is always the case,
but there are just amazing truths in your Word for us this morning.
And my prayer is that each of us would hear them as coming from your mouth
and not from mine.
So I pray that you would fill us with your Spirit and your Word.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Well, I was listening to a Jordan Peterson podcast.
If you don't know who he is, that's fine.
I found this interaction on this podcast really fascinating.
So he had a guest on named Alex.
Now, Alex isn't a believer, but he was pressing Jordan to explain his beliefs,
because this guy, he's giving lectures on the Bible.
He quotes the Bible left, right and centre.
And then Alex is saying,
If I went back in time with a Panasonic video camera,
I'm sure there's other brands out there just for legal sake,
Panasonic video camera and put that camera in front of the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea,
would the little LCD screen show a man walk out of that tomb?
And Jordan replies,
I would suspect yes.
Alex says,
So that, to me, seems like a belief in the historical event of the resurrection,
or at least of Jesus leaving the tomb,
which means that when somebody says,
Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
It doesn't seem clear to me why you're not able to say,
It would seem to me yes.
And Jordan replies,
Because I have no idea what that means.
And neither did the people who saw him.
Wow.
We've been going through the I Am declarations of Jesus for five weeks now.
And today, we have a passage that answers Jordan's question about,
What does it all mean?
Jordan's claim that the people who first saw him had no idea.
Maybe that is initially true,
but John tells us why he wrote this down.
He says in chapter 20,
Now Jesus did many other signs, miracles,
in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book,
but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God,
and that by believing,
you may have life in his name.
That's what it means.
Now, for all of you, my brothers and sisters,
who know what all this means,
can we just take a moment to remind ourselves of what John 14,
the original situation that the disciples were facing.
John 14 is, you've probably heard it at many funerals,
and it's a great passage for funerals.
But the first purpose of this are to disciples whose faith,
it is on the brink of failure.
They are battered.
Their expectations of success, seriously unmet.
One of their own would betray.
Their leader, Peter, is going to publicly deny the faith.
If he can't make it through the night,
what about the others?
They feel abandoned to their own resources.
They're battled in their faith.
So the original setting is these words to us.
This is what Jesus says, his purpose for his words.
I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation,
but take heart, I have overcome the world.
So this passage shows us what it all means.
And if we know what it means,
that just clicked, that the rooster crowing is...
That's really fitting for Peter's denial, isn't it?
I did not set that up.
Thank you, whoever did that.
This is an audio-visual experience.
I was wondering why you were all laughing.
I wasn't getting the joke.
Whatever is battering your faith...
I think our faith is constantly battered.
I don't think it's just certain seasons in life.
I think it's a miracle that any of us make it to the end.
All of us are battered by different things.
Either being seduced away,
Jesus just becomes smaller than he actually is,
or a direct challenge,
or is it for me?
They're great truths.
We're constantly battered.
We see three things in this passage
that give us such peace in him.
There's a place for you in the Father's house.
You know the way.
From now on, you know the Father.
And in that peace,
he's calling us to great works
in sharing that peace
until we get to see him.
So let's just go through this passage.
We saw last week in the resurrection of Lazarus
a sneak preview of the end of the age
when everyone who are buried
are going to hear the voice of the Son of God
and come out of their graves.
Some to everlasting life.
Some to everlasting judgment.
Now the goal of Jesus' mission,
what it all means,
is to prepare a place in our Father's house.
It's a picture of that heaven.
There's many rooms.
I don't think we're meant to be picturing the rooms.
However you want to decorate them.
The nature of the rooms isn't what's talked about.
There's so much space, is his point.
There's heaps of space.
There's plenty of room.
And there is a place.
I'm looking around this auditorium
and we love place.
I can almost know who's here this morning
by looking at certain parts of seats.
We love place.
We are embodied creatures.
We want to worship God embodied
in a place.
And that is what Jesus came to give us.
This eternal, permanent place.
It is an embodied home.
It's a place for you personally.
He's expecting you.
People won't turn their eyes away from you
when you get in.
It's just like,
I don't know how he made it.
They're just going to tolerate that.
They're going to see you.
The Father's expecting you
to see you at the core of your being
and delight in you.
You're expected.
Your name's there.
It's a place for you.
He's going to prepare.
There's a sense in which
Jesus refuses to start
the bliss of heaven
until all his people are with him.
I'm pretty sure I've quoted
C.S. Lewis recently.
I can't remember.
I'm going to quote it again
because it's a great quote.
Creatures are not born with desires
unless satisfaction for those desires exists.
A baby feels hunger?
Well, there is such a thing as food.
A duckling wants to swim.
Well, there is such a thing as water.
If I find in myself a desire
which no experience in this world can satisfy,
the most probable explanation
is that I was made for another world.
If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it,
that does not prove that the universe is a fraud.
Probably earthly pleasures
were never meant to satisfy it.
But only to arouse it.
To suggest the real thing.
I think this morning
you can know you have a place there
if your desires move
from the concept of place
to person.
verse 3,
I will come again
and I will take you to myself.
That where I am
you may be also.
If that,
I know that grows over time as a Christian,
but if your concept of heaven moves
from place to person,
I think that's one indicator that
you know him.
You have a place.
So we have peace,
have peace in me
because there's a place for you
in my father's house
and second,
because you know the way.
You know it.
Now, Thomas doesn't seem to know,
but they do know
because they know him.
Now,
this is where we've got to take,
pay close attention
to the article.
He's not saying,
I am a,
a way among many
to God.
I am the
way,
the truth,
the life.
No one
comes
to the Father
except through
me.
Jesus is the only way
to the Father
precisely because of
who he is.
He is the truth
of God
and the life
of God
is in himself.
Because of who he is,
it makes him
the only way.
Now,
I think we're all,
the idea of absolute,
the truth,
it might,
it might feel yucky
to you,
I'm not sure,
but I think we're all
intolerant
when truth is staring
us in the face,
when there's just
reality there,
you just,
you've got to deal
with it.
An example of this,
I think it was this week,
the guys who are laying
the floor tiles,
these squares,
they were telling me
that they get to the end
and then there's this
five millimetre gap.
That reality of a gap,
it shouldn't be there
and it's just staring
them in the face,
it means one of the tiles
somewhere that look
identical
is mismanufactured.
Now,
that reality,
they could have gone,
well,
they looked,
they looked right,
they look square,
but no,
the gap was,
it's reality that,
they spent ages finding
that one square
that was out of alignment.
They were intolerant
to their credit
and they didn't just
put up with it.
When reality's there,
even if you don't like it,
I'll give you another
illustration in case
that didn't work for you.
If you go to the doctor
and you describe your symptoms
and the doctor knows
what you've got,
they've seen it
hundreds of times,
all the research papers
say the same thing,
no one disagrees
and the prognosis
is not good.
If that doctor
told you a lie
because they didn't
want to upset you,
how would you feel
about that?
Would you tolerate that?
I'd be pretty furious.
Even when reality,
we don't like it.
It's not helpful
or kind
to be flexible
with truth.
How much more
with ultimate truth,
ultimate reality?
I think we're all
searching for ultimate reality.
I want to go back
to that podcast
I mentioned.
Alex,
remember,
he's an unbeliever.
He raises
a really
critical challenge
to our society's
belief system
based on the truth
of evolution.
Here's what Alex
says.
he's describing
someone else's argument
but here's what he says.
What does natural
selection select
for?
Survivability.
So if you're
a materialist,
there's no such
thing as God,
that means
that the very
rational faculty
that you're using
right now
evolves
not to be sensitive
to truth
but to survivability.
And if that's
the case,
why do you
believe in the
truth
of evolution?
This unbeliever
is putting it forward
as going,
he doesn't answer
the question.
We're all
searching for truth.
We want to base
our lives on truth,
don't we?
And Jesus
declares himself
to be
the truth.
He's not just
saying I'm
telling the
truth.
He's not just
saying I stand
for the truth.
He's not even
saying that he's
one important
aspect among
all the true
things out there
in the cosmos.
He's saying
he's ultimate
reality
in human form.
He's saying
that everything
else that's
true
relies upon
him.
That the
divine revelation
of God
became
flesh,
meat,
as we saw
in week one.
It's not
doctrinal
propositions
at the heart
of the universe.
it's a
beating
heart.
Ultimate
reality
is a
beating
heart.
He's
saying
I'm it.
I'm
the truth
of God.
And he's
saying he
is the
life.
Not only
that he
gives life,
but that's
a radical
claim.
he's
saying in
him
was life,
says John.
That he
himself is
vigorously,
fully alive.
He is
eternal life.
He doesn't
just give
eternal life.
He is
life.
If you're
struggling to
wrap your
head around
this,
join the
club.
all of
us want
life to
the full
and he's
saying he
is it.
We heard
last week
that amazing
promise in
raising Lazarus,
everyone who
lives in
me and
believes in
me shall
never die.
If you're
living in
him,
when I
close my
eyes for
that final
time,
maybe in
a hospital
bed,
there won't
be even a
millisecond of
death because
I've already
entered that
eternal life.
I just get
more of it.
life.
He describes
eternal life
this way in
John 17
when he's
praying,
this is
eternal life
that they
know you,
the only
true God
and Jesus
Christ whom
you have
sent.
He is
the way
because of
who he
is.
He's the
beating
heart at
the centre
of the
universe
and in
him is
life.
If you
want life,
it's found
in him.
Isn't
Philip an
encouraging
disciple?
Whenever you
meet him,
he always
seems out
of his
depth.
When the
crowd of
5,000 are
around and
they're hungry,
here's
Philip's
contribution.
If we
spend almost
a year's
wages,
200
genari,
all on
bread,
Jesus,
actually,
we still
wouldn't have
enough to
give everyone
just a taste.
That's his
solution to
the problem.
When some
non-Jews want
to come see
Jesus,
Philip's
like,
can you
bring them?
Can you
turn them
away?
He's not
sure.
Andrew,
what do
we do?
And here,
he is out
of his
depth.
Lord,
show us
the
Father.
That's
enough for
us.
Now,
to his
credit,
this is a
bold request.
No one
has ever
seen God.
Even
Moses only
saw the
back of
God.
Show us
the
Father.
And he's
saying,
that's
enough.
We're
troubled,
but if I
just saw
God
himself,
I could
keep going.
We could
keep going.
It's a
bold request.
But notice
Jesus'
reply.
It seems
to be
tinged
with
sadness.
Have I
been with
you so
long?
And you
still do
not know
me,
Philip.
Here I
am.
Is that
enough for
you,
Philip?
Philip,
?
No one
has
ever
seen
God,
the
only
God,
who
is at
the
Father's
side.
He
has
made
him
known.
He
is the
only
way
to
God
because
of
who
he
is.
He
is the
only
door
for the
sheep
because
of
who
he
is.
Now
Now, a human being that declares these things, like, surely Jesus is a fruitcake.
Surely he's deranged.
He's a liar.
He's possessed by a demon, his contemporaries conclude.
Why would you listen to a single word, someone saying, I am ultimate reality, I am life?
You've got to treat him as a fruitcake or you've got to worship him.
For those of us who believe, we have peace.
How much peace is there?
We know him.
We know the way.
There's a place for us in the Father's house and you know the way because you know him.
And we have peace because all this is ours because of what he's done.
Now, this is where I want to hone in on what does Jesus being the way mean?
Again, I'm going to use that podcast.
It was such a fascinating podcast of what people believe out in the world.
Jordan, again, is pressed for a definition of a Christian.
And Jordan, he's a quick thinker and he pauses, I don't know, 10 seconds.
It's the longest pause I've ever heard him have.
And then, I won't tell you the whole quote.
Okay, so I'm oversimplifying this if you want to go listen to yourself.
But he basically says, this is one of his things he says,
I think the essence of the Christian faith is the imitation of Christ.
Jesus is saying so much more than that.
He's saying so much more than that.
I'm the supreme example to imitate.
If you use Jesus as your example to imitate, obviously we should,
but as the basis of Christian faith, if you do that, I don't know about you,
but that's going to crush me.
I'm going to fail.
Consider the timing of these words.
Remember when these words were said.
This is the night before he dies.
In just a few hours, not one of his disciples are going to follow him.
Not one are going to follow this way.
They're going to abandon him.
And he's saying, I am the way.
In a few hours, the lies of the enemies are going to get victory over this truth.
His corpse is going to hang limp.
He's going to be pale and pierced.
And he's saying, I am the life.
To the world, this just sounds ridiculous.
But it's not in spite of this, but it's because of this,
that we see the Father most clearly when Jesus is on that cross.
He says in verse 7, from now on, because he's going to that cross,
from now on, you do know the Father.
When he says he's going to prepare a place, he's not busy with carpentry.
He means he's going to the cross.
It's prepared.
That our good shepherd would lay down his life for his sheep.
Hebrews 10, 20 says,
The way isn't Peter going, I'm ready to die for you, Jesus.
That's not the way.
The way is, believe me.
Have peace in me.
I prepare the way.
From now on, we know God as our Father.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me.
A place for you in my Father's house.
You're expected.
You know the way.
Because of who I am.
And he's done it all.
At the cross, we know the Father.
That's what all this means.
There's so much peace in him.
But in this peace, he's also preparing his disciples for great purpose.
I wonder if you believe verses 12 to 14.
If you've got your Bibles there.
Let me read just a bit of it.
Truly, truly, 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'm going to the Father.
That's hard to believe, isn't it?
Is this?
Like, even the apostles going to do greater works than Jesus raising Lazarus?
Is this just about the apostles doing miracles in the Acts of the Year?
I don't know.
Possibly.
I suppose it's possible.
But verse 12, it seems wider than that.
Verse 12.
Whoever believes.
Whoever believes in me.
So I agree with Bishop J.C. Ryle.
What greater work is there than the conversion of the human soul?
When at Pentecost, the church was just like 120 about now, and then 3,000 come.
The truth and the life invading every nation, every heart, so many hearts.
And he's using Philip, people like Philip.
Ordinary, out of his depth, Philip.
Ordinary, out of his depth, David.
Ordinary, out of our depth, Grace Evangelical.
He's using our witness.
I don't even know why he's crediting his disciples.
Surely it's him doing this conversion.
And yet, it's him working through us.
He's using us as the means to bear witness to the truth and life we've found in him.
To convert people, to bring people into the Father's house.
What greater work.
He gives us peace.
Peace.
And in that peace, he just, he pushes us into such great purpose.
We've had an encouraging mission month, but are we going to fan that passion into flame?
Not just go, yes, we've done that in August.
Is our witness going to grow individually and as a church?
The world does not count this as important, but greater works.
To share the peace that we've found.
What a privilege.
I would even go as far as to say, whatever's battering your faith at the moment, he's not just offering us peace.
I think those times when we're battered, which is all the time, whatever's battering you is an opportunity to bear witness.
That problem at work.
Are you going to fight like the world does?
Or are you going to show that, no, I've got peace.
I've got peace in Jesus.
I want to bear witness to him.
Whatever's battering your faith.
I think it's an opportunity to show we've found truth and life, the way, in him.
Will you pray with me?
Let's pray.
Lord, forgive us for not dwelling on that permanent home that we'll have with you nearly as much as we should.
I think I can pray for all of us.
Let me pray for myself.
Lord, I set my goals on such smaller things when we step back at these ultimate truths and your grace in promising a place for us.
Lord, forgive us and help us to dwell on all that you've given us and the peace that we have in him.
Lord, stir us up to share that peace with others.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let's pray.