Do you want to live a life of victory, of triumph, of success?
Do you want to succeed in your job, in your personal goals?
Do you want your life to radiate success so you can say,
I am victorious.
I have triumphed over adversity.
It sounds a bit much.
It sounds kind of like I'm selling vitamins or life coaching.
But there's something to it, isn't there?
Maybe your heart skipped a beat.
Yes, I do want that.
We all want to be successful.
We want to see victories.
We want to see triumph in our lives.
Surely we all want these things.
We want the things that we turn our hands to to succeed.
We want to work hard and we want to win.
We want to beat the opposition at work.
We want to win the new client.
We want to get the promotion.
Imagine that feeling of success when all of your debts are paid off.
Can you imagine that feeling?
That feeling of sweet victory when we win and someone else is defeated.
That feeling of a pat on the back that says you are worthwhile.
What you are doing is valuable.
Maybe you're not like that personally.
Maybe you are seeking a successful and triumphant life through other means.
Maybe it's through kids.
Maybe it's through a sports team.
You know, many of our kids get pushed to succeed because we never did as children.
And so we encourage them to study harder, practice, become successful so I can bask in your success.
Maybe it's the sports team.
We feel like life is worthwhile when our team triumphs.
My team beat your team.
And so therefore I feel better about myself.
My favorite contestant on My Kitchen Rules beat your favorite contestant on My Kitchen Rules.
And therefore I am more successful than you.
Life can be tough.
But these little victories, these triumphs, these moments, whether it's our kids or My Kitchen Rules or our sports team,
they give us a short-term boost of value.
But then worry, stress, anxiety sets in again.
Our emotions go up and down based on external things.
One week the sports team wins and we're feeling great.
Then they lose and we're down in the dumps.
Life has no meaning.
Is it possible that we are chasing victory and triumph in the wrong places?
Are we seeking triumph in things that don't last and don't matter?
Not that long ago, my emotions would regularly go up and down based upon the success of a sports team.
I love cricket.
I'm sorry if you don't love cricket.
And I've now come to realize that, mainly because our cricket team is very bad,
it's helped me realize that I can't place all of my hope and trust in that cricket team.
For many of us, we follow God.
But we add to Christianity a desire for success in our lives to bring us joy and happiness.
Yes, Jesus defeated death and sin, but while I'm waiting for Him to return,
I need other victories to ease the pain of anxiety and loss and failures.
Today, as Steve has mentioned, we're starting a new series on the triumphant life.
This is not going to be nine weeks on how to live your best life now.
But it's a series that's going to take us through Easter,
the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus,
as we see Him triumph over death and sin,
as He offers us His victory.
We'll see what this triumphant life that Jesus has to offer us is.
And we come depending on Him.
Now, we're going to be spending the next nine weeks, as I mentioned,
looking at Jesus' last moments.
And as we start this week, we're in chapter 14,
in the middle of the book of John.
Strange place to start, but it does make sense for us.
Jesus is meeting with His disciples just before He is crucified.
And He warns them that He's just about to leave.
Not only that, but He tells His disciples,
one of you is going to betray me.
And so He sends out Judas Iscariot to go and betray Him.
Now, with Judas gone, Jesus, with His disciples,
in the moments before He's crucified,
sits with them, and they are concerned.
They are worried.
They're worried about their future, what's going to happen.
And so Peter asks, Lord, where are you going?
Jesus responds, you can't follow me, but you will later.
But Peter, he's indignant.
No, no, no.
I'm going to go wherever you go.
And so this leads Jesus to calm their worries,
their fears, and their troubled hearts.
So we're going to be in John chapter 14.
Please have your Bibles open.
Have the Bible app open on your phone.
It will be on the screen as well.
We're going to start in chapter 14, verse 1.
Jesus said,
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Now, at first, this might seem like an offhanded thing to say.
Just calm down.
You're going crazy.
Everything is fine.
Because I know that never works when I try and say that to anyone.
But Jesus says,
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
And then He unpacks it.
Don't let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in Me.
Believe in God.
And believe in Me.
God and Me, we're doing the same work.
And Jesus goes on to describe what being with the Father,
what their future with Jesus will look like.
It's like a house that has many rooms.
And so Jesus is going to say,
Don't be troubled.
I have a place for you.
He's going to prepare a place for these disciples.
It's not that Jesus has to go and do what I would do
if I was preparing a place for you,
which would be to clean things.
Jesus isn't going to sweep out the house.
He's not going to turn down the beds,
place a chocolate on the pillow.
Jesus has to make a way open to the house.
Jesus is going so that the Father's house is open.
And it's the Father's house.
He's going to depart so that we can be in God's house as a father.
It's not that we're going to God's house as slaves,
living in the tiny bedroom off to the side.
It's not the slaves' quarters.
But this is the Father's house as His children.
And it's likely here that Jesus is using palace imagery.
It's a description that conjures up images of rulers at the time
who their houses were built,
and then they would have many extensions.
They would have a son grow up,
and then the son would add rooms to the father's house.
And then a son would add other rooms,
and then other rooms,
and the house would just grow and spread out.
But it was all connected to one central room.
This image that Jesus is using,
it's a deeply family-oriented image.
It's a heavenly one that Jesus uses,
one that surpasses even the rulers' palaces.
It's one of close community,
of everyone having relationship
and close connection with God,
the Father Himself.
And then Jesus shifts the language a little bit in verse 3.
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me,
that you also may be where I am.
It's no longer a house.
It's, I'm going to take you to be with me.
It goes from being a location to a relationship.
It's not just about heaven as a place,
but it's a relationship with Jesus Himself.
Jesus says to the disciples,
you're worried because I'm leaving,
but don't let your hearts be troubled.
I've got a place prepared for you.
And it's close to God Himself.
Now, this passage from John 14
is one of the most common passages read at funerals.
I've spoken on this passage a number of times.
It's likely that you've heard this.
And it's because it speaks to our very souls.
A loved one has departed,
and our hearts are troubled.
This passage doesn't take away the pain or loss of a loved one,
but it focuses our hope.
It takes all the worry that we have
and places it in the hands of Jesus.
It's a wonderful reminder
of what Jesus' death and resurrection has done.
He has made it
so that we can be in the Father's house.
It's a comfort,
even though Jesus is about to depart,
that there is an eternal home with God.
Now, while we are still living,
our homes, our houses,
are often a big stressor in Sydney.
I'm sure I could do a quick poll of this room,
and it would be a stressor for, you know, 90%.
The stats say that it is one of the biggest stressors.
Where am I going to live?
Can I pay the rent to be in the right suburb that I want?
Because that's the school,
that's in the catchment for the school
I want to send my kids to.
And if you manage to buy a house,
well, there's mortgage stress.
Interest rates are low at the moment,
but who knows what's going to happen in the future.
Having a triumphant and victorious life
is so often based on external things.
How many bedrooms does our house have?
How many bathrooms?
What's the square footage of your house?
And it's even easy for Christians
to buy into that view of success.
I'm valuable.
I'm successful because I live in a house
in the right suburb.
I'll be valuable and I'll be successful
when I buy that house,
when I can live there.
But the reality for all those who follow Jesus
is it's that our victory,
our triumph,
isn't found in our location
or the amount of bricks that we own
stacked on each other,
but in who owns the house.
We are valuable not because
of the things we own,
but because of the price
that Jesus has paid.
So we could come to the Father's house.
This is not anything that we can boast in,
but the location of the best home
is given to us.
But the disciples were still troubled.
Thomas asks in verse 5,
Lord,
we don't know where you are going,
so how can we know the way?
He's likely worried that
Jesus was departing to a place
that he didn't have a map for.
He needed a location
so he could plug it into his Google Maps
so that he could...
You know, it's not a location.
You can't search for my Father's house
in the app.
It doesn't come up.
He doesn't know where Jesus is going,
and so he doesn't know the way.
And so Jesus replies,
verse 6,
I am the way,
the truth,
and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through me.
Jesus himself
is the way to God.
And he is the truth of God.
He's the truth of God
because he reveals
what Jesus is like.
He does only
what God tells him to do.
He is God made flesh.
And he's life.
He has life in himself.
And it's only because Jesus
is both the truth of God,
God made flesh,
and the life of God,
that he can be
the way to God.
And this means that
he's the only way
to the Father.
We can often be tempted
to think that
all religions
are the same,
they all have value,
but it cannot be true
that all paths
lead to God.
And we can often think,
look,
as long as you believe
in something,
that is fine,
it is good that you just
believe in something,
but Jesus is clear.
There is only one way
to the Father,
and that's him,
it's Jesus.
Jesus.
Again,
if we took another poll,
but not inside the church,
if we went outside the church
and took a poll,
do you believe in God?
The majority of people
would say,
yes,
I believe in God
of some kind.
But if we asked,
do you believe in Jesus,
the stats would be
much lower.
For Jesus,
he is the only
way to God.
He is not just one
amidst a number,
he is the only
way to God.
Because God is not just
some vague,
mystical spirit.
Jesus is God
made flesh.
He is the unknowable
made known.
And so Jesus says,
don't let your hearts
be troubled.
You don't know
where you're going,
that's okay,
because you know me,
and I am the way
that you are going.
Jesus is about to go
and be crucified,
to purchase
our forgiveness
and become the way
to the Father,
to make the way open,
but he also makes it certain.
So don't let your hearts
be troubled,
believe in me,
because I am the only
way to the Father.
So often,
I see articles
on the internet,
on websites like BuzzFeed,
I don't know if you know
of BuzzFeed,
but they often have
headlines like,
10 steps to a healthier life.
You know,
you won't believe
step six.
You know,
four tricks to crush
your life goals.
Have you seen
these kinds of things?
Have you clicked on them
and gone,
I kind of have to see
what step six is now,
you know,
you really hooked me in.
I love these things.
Maybe you do too,
because they make,
they make anything
seem possible.
You know,
10 steps to get
to the moon.
Do you know what,
it's only 10 simple steps.
Just because number nine
is getting a rocket,
you know,
it makes anything
seem possible.
But the way
to the Father
is far more than that.
It is every step
in a life
of total obedience.
It is millions
and millions of steps.
And that's what Jesus offers.
He took every step
in perfect obedience
to God.
And he says,
I have won that victory.
I have that triumph.
I have that goal,
that life
of total obedience
and I offer it to you.
But it's not even
five steps for us.
It is just one step.
Don't let your hearts
be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me
because I am the way.
It's not as catchy
a headline
as 10 steps
to whatever it is.
But that is our guide
to living the triumphant life.
That is the one step.
Believing
in Jesus.
Believing in God
because he is the way.
The disciples
are still wrestling
with this.
They're still trying
to understand
what it means
that Jesus is going
and they're not going
to know where he's going.
And so now
it's Philip's turn
to ask a question.
Look,
just show us the Father.
It will be so much easier
if you just show us God.
We won't worry,
just show us God.
And so Jesus responds,
maybe out of frustration,
maybe out of surprise
that they're still asking this.
And so have a look with me
at verse 9.
Jesus answered,
Don't you know me,
Philip?
Even after I have been
with you for such
a long time,
anyone who has seen me
has seen the Father.
Don't be troubled,
you have seen God.
You've seen me.
You just haven't recognized me.
The disciples
don't fully understand
and grasp yet
that Jesus is God himself.
Jesus says,
I'm in him.
I do his work.
He's in me.
Don't you believe that?
Now this,
to me,
is still the most
startling part
in the whole Bible.
The whole Bible.
That the man
who goes
and dies
on the cross
is himself
God.
And he is the one
who reveals
that God
is the Father
and he loves us
and cares for us.
Jesus is not just
a man.
He cannot just be
an agent of God,
someone sent by God.
He is definitively
God himself.
And so Jesus says,
Don't let your hearts
be troubled.
Trust in me
because you have,
if you've seen me,
you've seen God.
And the disciples,
they would come
to understand this
later,
after his resurrection.
They would come
to realize
how complete
and how wonderful
Jesus' triumph was.
Now you might be thinking,
well this is great.
These comforts
are wonderful.
I love that
my eternal destination
is so certain
that I have a home
with God
and that Jesus
is God himself.
This is great.
This is lovely.
But it's
so far away
waiting for Jesus.
It's good
that the future home
is guaranteed.
The way to Jesus
is not my own strength.
It's not the steps
that I do.
It's Jesus' strength.
But do you know what?
My life
is in turmoil now.
I'm struggling
with addictions.
I'm chasing
the wrong victories.
I don't know
what's best for my life.
I don't know
what's best for my kids,
my job,
my career.
My health
is failing.
I can't stand
my job.
I'm lonely.
It would just be
so much easier
if Jesus came back
now.
What does Jesus
do
for troubled hearts
now?
What is Jesus
going to do
for his disciples
because he was
about to leave them?
Jesus says,
don't be troubled.
I'm going
to send someone.
verse 16.
And I will
ask the Father
and he will
give you
another advocate
to help you
and be with you
forever.
The spirit of truth.
I'm going
to send you
the advocate.
Now,
I don't,
I'm not in the
legal world
if you hadn't
noticed.
Advocate
is a legal word
and I wasn't
really across it
so I contacted
a lawyer this week
because advocate
is a legal term
and my special
lawyer friend
told me what
an advocate
is in legal terms.
Let me read.
An advocate
is someone
who acts
on behalf
of another
to protect
and or advance
their interests
and includes
notions of
being a mouthpiece
for someone
in assisting,
defending or
pleading their case
in a court of law,
representing someone
who is weaker
or in a vulnerable
position,
representing someone
who is not able
to adequately
or effectively
speak on behalf
of themselves.
Generally speaking,
if someone was not
in a vulnerable,
weaker position
or had an ability
to effectively
speak for themselves,
they would not
really require
an advocate.
But as the majority
of the public
do not understand
the intricacies
of the law
or possess the skill
to articulate their case
in the context
of the law,
they require
an advocate.
You can see
why this
is such a
helpful word
for us
to understand
the work
of the Holy Spirit.
He's going
to speak
on your behalf.
He's the
Spirit of truth
and He will reveal
truth to you.
He understands
the situation
when you don't
and He makes us
see the truth.
Disciples,
you want to see God?
God,
the Spirit of truth
will help you
realize that you
have seen Him.
These disciples
and us,
we are in a weak
and vulnerable
position.
Jesus is going.
It seems that
it's going to be
even worse,
but the Holy Spirit
will stand with them.
We do not
understand the
intricacies of God.
The Spirit does.
And He reveals
God to us.
The disciples
were troubled
that Jesus
was leaving,
but they
wouldn't be alone.
Verse 18,
I will not
leave you
as orphans,
I will come
to you.
Before long,
the world
will not see
me anymore,
but you
will see me.
Because I
live,
you also
will leave.
You won't
be alone.
I will be
with you
in spirit.
This is
an amazing
comfort.
Not only that,
but the Holy Spirit
was going to
bring them
into this
relationship
with God.
It's the
love of God.
Verse 21,
whoever has
my commands
and keeps
them is
the one
who loves
me.
The one
who loves
me will
be loved
by my
Father,
and I
too will
love them
and show
myself to
them.
You will
be brought
into my
family,
into the
unique
love of
God
that he
has for
his son
and the
spirit,
that unique
triune
love that
God has,
he is going
to share
that with
all of
us.
It's being
adopted into
a new
family with
the same
comforts,
the same
language of
love.
My father-in-law
works for
Qantas.
Alyssa and
her siblings
used to
be able to
get,
I believe,
if this is
correct,
my darling
wife,
used to
be able to
get discounted
travel.
Free flights,
even better,
but not
anymore.
She took
the slight
step down
of not being
able to get
free flights
to become
a Barnett.
Amen?
No,
that's fine.
She left
the family
that could
get free
flights,
left those
privileges.
Now I get
to be in
that family
too,
but there
are privileges
to families.
The disciples
here get
invited into
the close
personal love
that God
had in the
Trinity.
The father
loved the
son,
the son
loved the
spirit,
they each
loved each
other
perfectly.
It's an
awesome love.
And this
love gets
spread out
and invited
for all
who would
believe
and not
have their
hearts
troubled.
The disciples
were anxious
and worried
that Jesus
was leaving.
They didn't
know where
he was
going,
they didn't
know how
to follow
him,
and they
wanted some
glimpse of
God,
and Jesus
said,
don't be
troubled.
Don't have
a heart of
fear.
I might be
going,
but it is
for your
benefit.
It will be
so much
better if I
leave,
because the
Holy Spirit
is coming
so that
you can
understand the
truth that
I am
God.
I am
going to
prepare a
place for
you to
secure your
home.
I am
sending
someone to
guide you
and walk
with you,
walk beside
you.
You will
not be
alone.
The
disciples,
they were
in a really
unique place
where they
knew Jesus
face to
face,
but they
would have
something
better.
For us,
it is a
different kind
of worry
than Jesus
leaving.
We are
still anxious,
we are
still worried
and troubled
in our
hearts.
We are
not sure
when Jesus
is going
to come
back.
And we are
anxious and
worried about
life as we
wait.
There is
sickness,
we still
need to
work,
we still
need to
raise kids,
we still
need to
study hard,
we are
still worried
about housing.
It is
Sydney after
all.
Jesus
speaks to
us and
says the
comfort is
the same
for us
now.
Jesus
has gone,
he has
prepared a
place and
he is
waiting to
bring us
to him.
Paul
reflects on
this in
1 Corinthians
chapter 15,
he says,
thanks be to
God,
he gives
us the
victory
through our
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Jesus
gives us
the victory,
he offers
us his
triumph.
He speaks
to us and
says,
I offer
you a
triumphant
life,
not because
you've
earned it,
not because
you deserve
it,
not because
it's some
short-term
triumph that
will last
for a
moment and
be gone,
but it
is the
best triumph,
the best
victory.
Jesus has
won the
battle over
death and
sin into
the love
of God
and he
offers us
God's
spirit which
will guide
us and
be with
us now
and he
offers this
to us.
Imagine
an
Olympian,
can someone
give me a
really hard
Olympic field?
Anybody
got an
idea?
Water
polo.
Okay,
we're going
to go with
water polo.
Anybody
think of
something harder
than water
polo?
I think
drowning would
be pretty
tough in
water polo
personally.
Let's
imagine
water
polo.
This
person
has
trained
all of
their
life
to
become
the
best
and
their
goal
is to
win
the
Olympics.
Day
and
night
they've
thought
about
nothing
else.
They've
sacrificed
everything
and they
have become
the very
best.
They're
an
expert
in
water
polo.
And
finally
the
Olympics
come
and the
four year
cycle
comes
around
we're
all
watching
it
at
3am
in the
morning
wherever
it is
and this
person
finally
wins.
They win
gold.
Here we go
I've got a
gold medal
here.
It's not
Olympic gold
medal don't
worry I
didn't
earn this.
And
they're
about to
take the
step up
onto the
podium
to win
the gold
medal
that they
have rightly
earned.
They have
worked hard
for.
And
instead
they
step
down
off
the
podium
and
they
walk
over
and
offer
it
to
you.
I'm
just
going to
place it
right there.
There you go.
Good job Adam.
You worked
hard for that.
This doesn't
make any
sense.
I cannot
imagine
any
Olympian
doing
that.
Stepping
down the
thing that
they have
fought for
and worked
for and
sacrificed
everything
for.
To not
step up
onto the
podium but
actually to
step down
and invite
somebody else
to take
the prize
and to
get the
victory
and to
go off
and have
the victory
lap.
That
doesn't
make any
sense.
That would
not happen.
And yet
this is
what Jesus
has done
for us.
His
triumph
was not
won for
him
alone.
We
are his
prize.
The
victory
is for
us.
And he
hands us
this
prize.
We
can
shun
the
efforts
on the
cross.
We
can
chase
our
own
triumphs
that
will
never
satisfy.
We
can
live
in
ignorance
of the
prize
that
Jesus
has
won
for us
on
the
cross.
Or
we
can
live
now
with
a
triumphant
life
won
for us
by
Jesus.
Let
me
pray.
Heavenly
Father,
we
chase
short-lived
selfish
victories
that are
truly not
wins.
Lord,
we
are in
awe of
the
victory
that
Jesus
has
won,
that he
has
followed
every
step in
a life
of
obedience
to
you.
Lord,
it
does not
make sense
to us
that he
would
offer
us
this
victory
and
triumph,
but we
thank you
so much
that you
have given
us this
gift,
this place
in your
home with
this triumph.
Lord,
help us
not to
chase
things that
do not
satisfy.
Help us
to fix
our eyes
on the
goal
of being
with you.
And
Father,
we thank
you that
as we
wait,
as we
live here
on this
earth,
thank you
that you
have filled
us with
your spirit,
that you
offer us
the advocate,
not just
to comfort
us,
but so
that we
can know
you,
that we
can have
Jesus
revealed.
And we
pray all
this in
your son's
name for
your glory.
Amen.