The Gospel of John - Jesus Comforts His Disciples - John 14:1-14

so we are going through the gospel of john and if you have a bible you can already turn to john chapter 14. um but we've just been kind of grinding through the book of john that makes it sound like it's difficult it's been a great joy and pleasure to go through the book of john uh and one of the things i love about the book of john that we've seen over and over again is this is a great book to know well when talking with people that don't believe in christ that maybe have pushed back against jesus as lord that he is god in the flesh the god man jesus christ because regularly in the text we've seen jesus declare clearly that he is god in fact those around him would pick up things to stone him say it's blasphemous like you make yourself equal to to the father or to god um and so i've really enjoyed that we get into that regularly uh going through the book of john but today where we're going to pick up is jesus with his disciples they've had a meal together he washed their feet and then he's told them some things that have made them a bit anxious a bit scared a bit confused what jesus did is he said one of you is going to betray me he says all of you are clean except for one of you and then he goes on to say one of you is going to betray me and then lets one of the disciples know it's going to be judas then he says to those that have given up everything to follow after him that have been following with him for three years in ministry and he says i'm going to leave you and you can't follow me that's a little disheartening and says to peter when when peter says not follow you to the end he says you're going to deny me and so we find the disciples is in a little bit of turmoil their hearts are what the bible is going to tell us are stirred up like the stirring of the waters and so they're troubled in their heart and jesus is going to now comfort them in fact he's going to do so for the next several chapters and then this great prayer unto the father for it all to be fulfilled and it will and so as we get into this i need to remind you that yes this is jesus to his disciples and then as jesus's disciples now as we follow after christ we need to understand how it pertains to us so let's do this let's just read the text first if you're taking notes you could write down today's message title is jesus comforts his disciples that's that's where you go like praise god because we're his disciples and in a time of chaos we need comfort john 14 we're going to read verses 1 through 14. do not let your hearts be troubled you believe in god believe also in me my father's house has many rooms if that were not so would i have told you that i am going there to prepare a place for you 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 you know the way to the place where i am going thomas said to him lord we don't know where you are going so how can we know the way jesus answered i am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me if you really know me you will know my father as well from now on you do know him and have seen him philip said lord show us the father and that will be enough for us jesus answered don't you know me philip even after i have been among you such a long time anyone who has seen me has seen the father how can you say show us the father don't you believe that i am in the father and that the father is in me the words i say to you i do not speak on my own authority rather it is the father living in in me who is doing his work believe me when i say that i am in the father and the father is in me or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves very truly i tell you whoever believes in me will do the works i have been doing and they will do even greater things than these because i am going to the father and i will do whatever you ask in my name so that the father may be glorified in the son you may ask me for anything in my name and i will do it a lot of powerful verses today in the text many that you've heard before and i think it's very important that these powerful verses in the text are understood in the context and so we'll work through um all of this today and the first point is simply this anxiety and the answer anxiety and the answer we just did the quick recap reminding everyone that judas's betrayal was just spoke on jesus told them that he's leaving and then told peter he would deny him three times before sun up and then he says this is directly after telling peter you're going to deny me three times before the rooster crows do not let your hearts be troubled you believe in god believe also in me or therefore believe in me do not let your hearts be troubled well that sounds easier said than done do not let your hearts be troubled i don't know about you but my heart seems to get troubled before i realize it's troubled [Music] and jesus is going to say there's a there's an antidote there's an answer there's a way to look and a way to focus to deal with the troubled heart now does that mean that we nail it all the time oh my goodness the bible says be holy as god is holy how are you doing with being perfectly holy like god so although it gives us the answer and it's simple in in uh in its focus it doesn't mean it's easy or that we're able to do it always in our own strength in fact most of us will realize that that's not the case it says do not let your heart be troubled stirred up and he'll say how to deal with that you believe in god believe also in me jesus says you're troubled with what i've just told you there's going to be even crazier things that are going to happen as the fulfillment of what he's told them plays out and he says the way that you're going to make it through the way that you can stop your heart from the trouble that's going on inside you can't stop the trouble that's coming to you but the way that your heart cannot be troubled is to focus on believing in jesus it's quiet in here i know it's clovid you'd want to talk and everybody look at you you could say amen or just like every once in a while mms don't travel very far you'll be fine at the end of jesus speaking to them before he prays it's not going to be on the screen but in john 16 33 he'll tell them this i have told you these things so all this to comfort them because hard things are coming i have told you these things so that in me you may have peace in this world you will have trouble but take heart i have overcome the world so jesus will say don't let your heart be troubled after he tells them how to be comforted where to focus he comes to this end of what he's telling them and says in this world you will have trouble but there are peace is in him that we can take heart our heart will want to go somewhere else but we have to take it in matthew 6 34 says this jesus says therefore do not worry about tomorrow that's another one where it's easy to say that it's hard to actually do that in times when when jobs are disappearing and times where people you love get sick and fear is what the main push by all outlets because they know that they know that if fear is being said you must stop what you're doing and listen you instinctually are built to pay attention to fear so that you can stay safe so what does everybody do push fear because they want your attention trouble is real i'm not trying to take away from the fact that there are really things out there like you should take real risk assessments of things going on in the world at large but what i am saying is trouble jesus says it's here but you can't stay focused on worrying about it or let your heart getting troubled there is trouble don't let your heart be troubled therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself each day has enough trouble of its own the church said yep but i love this in second corinthians 1 3-5 says praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ the father of compassion and the god of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles again some people have been sold a false narrative about what happens when you put your faith in jesus and i've been told that all your troubles go away because now you follow jesus that's not what the bible says that's not what jesus says in fact jesus would say like you might die for this so here he says there's there's trouble but there's a god of all comfort that comforts you in your trouble so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from god how beautiful is that that as believers we should have more comfort during troubling times than anyone on the planet and it should not only flow to us but through us the people in our lives are being comforted because we have comfort we have a rock a refuge a shelter a strength for just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of christ so also our comfort abounds through christ let's read that again for just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of christ so also our comfort abounds through christ it's interesting we can get into a place where we all only want to follow after jesus for the comforts and the good things and forget that we follow one that suffered and in this world we will have trouble i'm not saying that to scare us but to prepare us because if you think there's not going to be trouble then you are devastated when it comes but if you understand trouble still going to come but you have a source of comfort in the times of trouble that your heart has a place to find peace then you can be stable through it and also provide comfort to others that are struggling praise the lord so jesus says believe in me do not let your hearts be troubled do you believe in god believe also in me that we focus our hearts on jesus also jesus brings comfort because jesus has a place for us we're not left on our own and we have a hope that is in jesus secured by jesus jesus tells the disciples that are there with him then my father's house has many rooms you know the old king james version says many mansions because the idea isn't just like a bunch of tiny little rooms in one little house but it's the the new city massive just beyond her comprehension of god's house and that there are these amazing suites that have been prepared for each of his sons and daughters and christ says my father's house he's speaking of heaven he's speaking of being in the presence of god for eternity has many rooms if that were not so would i have told you that i am going there to prepare a place for you 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 this is so comforting jesus says i told you that where i'm going you cannot come not yet but understand something you can have comfort and there is peace and you can be secure in the hope that you have because i'm leaving only to prepare the place for you to come and if i go there and prepare a place don't you think i'm going to bring you with me to be there i'm not abandoning you i'm preparing something for you so that when we look to him we see that he says i'm going i'm preparing a place that's awesome thank you jesus and i will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where i am jesus returns for his people that we can spend eternity with him for taking notes write this down it's always only jesus it's always only jesus jesus says you know the way to the place where i am going thomas one of the disciples and this is this is pretty cool already in this narrative of what's going on in this room with jesus and disciples we've seen several different disciples speak up we see we've seen interaction with peter with judas with john now we'll see thomas speak and then philip and this relational dynamic that jesus has with those that he leads thomas said to him lord we don't know where you are going so how can we know the way and that makes sense that that makes sense if you're trying to get somewhere i mean the first thing you do is try to figure out the address if you're putting something into your google maps or whatever map you use you put in the address and then it shows you the route to get to where you want to get and thomas is like how can we know the way if we don't even know the landing point because he doesn't quite understand what jesus is saying and jesus answered these very popular verses but they're also very confrontational jesus answered i am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me so he says the outcome is the presence of god the destination is the father's house like he just told them the destination is the presence of god for eternity and you can't get there no one gets there except through me why because jesus is the way of god he's the truth of god and the life of god and this is where it is controversial to some people is that this is an exclusive statement this is not i am a way a truth a kind of life and people get frustrated with this verse right here because people that don't like christianity say christians or christianity makes a claim that everybody else is wrong and that's intolerant first of all christians don't make that claim christianity doesn't make that claim jesus christ said it jesus said it of himself so many people that like the idea of jesus but don't like what they think christians are coming up with to make it exclusive are missing the fact that we're only parroting what our savior and lord jesus christ said of himself now listen it's inclusive in the invite to all who believe they're saved there's life in christ to all who put their faith in him as lord which is amazing and beautiful and it's the gospel that we constantly declare but jesus wants to make something very clear that although everyone else will have all their ways to be right before god or there are different truths that are relative to self or places where they find their source of life jesus says that all those are not ways to be right with god that there's no other way to right standing before god for eternity than to come through christ who is the way the truth and the life and again one of the reasons this is such a big deal and we need to understand this and know this one is it it's comforting to our soul as we realize we don't have to keep looking there's new things that come up all the time and they're all basically the same but there's new ideas people have to try to make us feel okay but what comfort there is to go i don't have to keep searching this world to try to feel all right inside where there is already a clear way and truth and life and it's found in jesus i know the direction i have the knowledge necessary and i have life it's exclusive that there is one way but inclusive that all who believe are saved write this down i've probably used this as a point in more messages than any point i've had in messages jesus is god we've seen it over and over in the book of john jesus if you really know me if you really know me you will know my father as well from now on you do know him and have seen him huh some translations say if you really knew me you would know my father as well and i think at first glance what you could you could think is okay jesus said that he's the way to the father so if i know him then eventually i'll know the father if you know me then you will know the father but then jesus takes it up a level from now on he doesn't say you're going to wait he says from now on understand this you do know him and have seen him and now another one of the disciples philip said lord show us the father and that will be enough for us now understand what jesus has already accomplished in his ministry at this point all the miracles he has done all the messages he has proclaimed and spoken with authority like no one else they have ever seen his clear proclamations that he is the lord now philip goes like oh that sounds great jesus could you just go ahead and up to annie again could you show us the father jesus answered don't you know me philip even after i have been among you such a long time anyone who has seen me has seen the father how can you say show us the father don't you believe that i am in the father and that the father is in me the words i say to you i do not speak on my own authority rather it is the father living in me who is doing his work believe me when i say that i am in the father and the father is in me or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves so this is interesting this is interesting because we understand that god is three and one the triune god the father the son and the holy spirit but one god and and the way that this is said kind of has us working through some of the difficulties of the trinity one in essence three in persons that we see here like hold on a second jesus is the one doing it and the spirit has come down on him but now jesus says i am in the father and the father is in me and jesus is trying to help them understand you are looking for something in the future when you don't realize that god in the flesh is standing before you the the evidence of everything that i am and have done and who i am you are seeing the father because you are seeing god anyone who has seen me has seen the father jesus says and we've worked through some text that helps us understand that in john 1 1-4 it says in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god he was with god in the beginning talking about jesus was with god and was god through him all things were made without him nothing was made that has been made in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind if we skip down to verse 18 i believe yep it says no one has ever seen god but the one and only son who is himself god and is in the closest relationship with the father has made him known so jesus is saying i've revealed god to you so you know who god is and when you're saying reveal the father what they're saying is we believe in you we believe that that you are the messiah but they don't quite grasp that he's god in the flesh often times and so he's saying you are seeing god do you not believe that i am in god god is in me and he says if you're struggling with me saying that then just look at the evidence of what i've done in colossians 1 15 it says this of jesus the son is the image of the invisible god the firstborn over all creation which means the preeminent one over all creation this isn't as if god the son came into existence because he was born now jesus was born to mary but god the son is eternal and we just read that in john 1 the son is the image of the invisible god the preeminent over all creation if we go to colossians 2 it says this for in christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form and in christ you have been brought to fullness he is the head over every power and authority later we see in hebrews 1 verse 3 the beginning part of verse 3 it says the son is the radiance of god's glory and the exact representation of his being sustaining all things by his powerful word that when we want to understand god better and understand how we glorify god on this earth we look to the god-man jesus christ who is the fullness who is the radiance of god's glory that as we struggle and we wrestle and we have troubles and we're anxious and we worry god says don't do that look to jesus look to jesus it's not to say that you'll do perfect and not ever struggling because things still hit you and when they hit you it stirs you and when it stirs you you need to remember where to go to get settled again that it's in jesus and jesus is trying to help them understand listen you believe in god believe in me you're worried about what's going to come i'm telling you i'm preparing a place you can believe what i'm saying there is a hope that is secured and he will go on to prove that hope by his resurrection last actually let me just stay there for one second if we go back to the john text can we go back to the john text there i'm sorry uh john 14. there we go i love this too the words i say to you i do not speak on my own authority rather it is the father living in me who is doing his work so jesus is just constantly saying i'm doing the will of god and everything that i do the will of the father believe me when i say that i am in the father and the father is in me or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves again this is key for us words and works as we look at jesus and see his words and his works there evidence of who he is as believers we should long for and ask god to continue to work in us so that our words and our works would be an evident of a tr evidence of a transformation evidence that we are followers of jesus christ empowered by the spirit of god to do his works write this down jesus is still at work praise god next week we'll start looking at jesus speaking of the holy spirit who will come to all believers and indwell them that they would be empowered to be able to follow after him and do the works that he has given us to do it would be comforted that we would have an advocate and a counselor we'll even speak very clearly in the largest chunk of of scripture of the holy spirit's role in our lives as believers so i'm excited to get into that jesus says very truly i tell you whoever believes in me will do the works i have been doing and they will do even greater things than these because i am going to the father now we need to understand this there's a lot going on here truly truly he wants them to understand this whoever believes in me that's everybody that believes in him whoever believes in me this isn't set apart for some elite group of people this is whoever believes in me there will be evidence that they believe in me by the works that they do now let me just clear something up for you i do believe that god works in miraculous ways through his people i believe that and i want you to understand that the word works here is not the word signs i want to just clear that out because sometimes what we think is okay jesus did all of these signs if i'm actually a follower of jesus i got to do all the signs jesus did just stop you're not jesus will god sometimes do amazing things ye yes and amen i've seen it happen i've been used by god in amazing ways before god's worked in my life in amazing ways before and i'm believing for god to work in phenomenal and miraculous ways in your life and let me just start by saying if you are saved he's already done so he took a hard dead heart and made it alive you were dead in sin now you are alive in christ who is the resurrection so let's just start there because sometimes i think we look out here to see god do a mighty work and forget the work that he does that only he can do in the saving of people so i i still believe god works by his spirit in his people in mighty ways and i want you to understand that in doing the works of jesus whoever believes in me will do the works that i have been doing understand this what are the works that jesus has been doing every time he brings up the works that he's doing he says the things that i do are the things the father sent me to do he does the will of the father who is in heaven so often as believers we look to try to to do the miraculous or want signs to be done through us instead of doing the clear things that god has called us to do in scripture the will of god hmm not quite in here again i'm not i'm not saying that we shouldn't be praying for believing for asking god to work in signs also we should be busy doing his revealed will which is the work that jesus did let's move on and they will do they will do even greater things than these because i am going to the father a couple things you need to understand here greater things than these what could that possibly mean well here's what i don't believe it means some people have made it appear as though we should be doing more spectacular things than jesus how in the world is that possible jesus would show up in a town and heal every single person every single person jesus walked on water jesus as the storm is crazy says peace be still jesus gives sight to a man born blind jesus takes a lunch a lunch and makes it lunch for thousands jesus calls his friend lazarus out of the grave after days of being in the grave again i'm not saying god doesn't do amazing things to his people but to pull this verse out to say i can do better things than jesus because i'm first of all how arrogant a lot of the times that is in the way that we're it is said but understand something a couple things i want you to see here one they will do even greater things than these if you look up the word here greater in the greek one of the definitions is more of like size and extent like the scope that is not just about the spectacular as far as greater but the impact understand this jesus only did this ministry for just over three years in one small region of the world and grasp that he says they'll do greater things than these because i am going to the father why because in just a few verses he's going to say it's better for you that i leave because then the father will send the spirit and we know that at the day of pentecost thousands were saved we know just getting through the book of acts that the gospel has been extended way further than it had been in jesus's life that today we're in washington or wherever you're watching this so far from where jesus did his ministry because of the greater things that god would accomplish through his people by the spirit empowering them because jesus sits on the throne and so jesus says you will do the will of god and that some of those things i do believe are miraculous in the way that you look for with signs and wonders and the greater is to the extent that the power of god will be displayed in the saving of souls throughout the world throughout time through his people let us be those people he's not done jesus is still at work thank you jesus and then it goes on to say and i will do whatever you ask in my name so that the father may be glorified in the son again jesus says i want to glorify the father we see another that it says that the father will exalt the son that he would be praised all to the glory of the father and you so you see that that it's all into the glory of god and i will do whatever you okay these verses have been ripped out of context so much it sickens me they're amazing and beautiful promises that we should cherish and hold on to but it's necessary that we understand too often what people have done as a as is have seen that it says i will do whatever you ask in my name and thought i can have everything i want if i just throw the name of jesus on it you'll do whatever i ask in your name perfect man i've been wanting that that new house jesus name it's mine and so the the name it didn't claim it idea came to be because of some of these verses now be clear i am what i'm not doing is saying that there's no power in the name of jesus i would never say that there's no other name in heaven or on earth or under the earth by which we must be saved there is power in the name of jesus and say in the name of jesus at the end of your prayer doesn't isn't like rubbing the genie lamp and now it just has to happen because it's one of your wishes understand what jesus says here understand it because i think it'll set you free i will do whatever you ask there it is in my name so that the father may be glorified in the son that the ultimate goal is to the glory of god not for the comfort of self and when it's in my name when it's in the name of jesus it's in the will and in the character and the mission and purposes of jesus not the greed of my flesh not the comfort that i long for in fact jesus just went on i showed you several different places where he's like yeah you're going to suffer there's going to be trouble but take heart that the things i should be asking are for the purposes of god god save people god give me the words to say god move in mighty ways god wash over your church god draw people to yourself god pour me out for the good of others and unto the glory of your name god if you if you need to remove everything out of my life because it's distracting me then please do so because i rather be more like you and closer to you that's a scary prayer that's a scary prayer that's not one that's not usually the type we throw the name of jesus on but that god i long to be more like christ that's that's to do it in his name it's for his glory it's for him to be uplifted still keep praying for his provision still keep praying for his healing so keep praying for restoration i want those i want those for you i want when you pray for other people to see dynamic change in their life unto his glory and for their good you may ask me for anything in my name and i will do it i will do it jesus says i'm i'm still i'm going to be gone but i'm not gone i'm still busy you you don't see me with your eyes because i i'm going to have accomplished my work here and going to the cross and being resurrected and ascended into heaven that part you're not going to see me here but you will see that i'm active you will know that i'm with you i need the worship team to come up and i love and i use these verses all the time because they're amazing so i should keep using them again next week jesus will start to speak much of the beauty of the holy spirit that is given to us to indwell us as believers and jesus wants us to know that he's with us as he said the father is in him and he is in the father that we are in god and god is in us in jesus after his resurrection and he gives the disciples the great commission says this then jesus came to them and said all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me that's that's a divine proclamation right there jesus says all authority in heaven on earth is mine and so therefore go and make disciples those are followers of christ of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you and surely i am with you always and surely i am with you always and surely i am with you always to the very end of the age he's going to say next week that those that love me follow my commands and the father and i we come to live in you he says it's good that i go because the spirit comes to indwell you he says god is in those that are in god and that god is still actively working in and through his people and there is something powerful the bible is very clear that we are to continue to gather in his name because as those who are indwelt by the spirit of god come together and god is with us he does powerful things even believing that here and now god is at work in us and with us he is washing over us with his word right now [Music] that we would be encouraged our faith would be inspired not that we would pray lesser prayers because now we understand the context but we would pray greater prayers god that you would do greater things through us your people but it would be things for your glory things for your praise [Music] so my prayer for us tonight and for those that are joining us is that [Music] god would be purifying our hearts that we would pray those scary prayers i talked about earlier god i want you to do whatever is necessary for me to be closer to you he's already accomplished a right relationship with him through christ but there are things in our life that hinder us [Music] god please remove those things or give me the strength to remove those things some are strongholds some are just simply distractions some maybe we need professional help to move forward in but he's who we depend on he's who we rely on also i want to see and i want to start hearing about god working in powerful ways through his people [Music] i want to start hearing your story not that i just stand up here and say this is how god's working through my life and you can do it but i want to hear that the church is being used mightily by god to be a light in the world that we are extending comfort to the chaos around us because we have a comfort even in times of trouble as we rely on depend on and are found in god the great comforter [Music] there is no greater peace than peace with god through christ and if you're here today and somehow you haven't been made right with god through putting your faith in jesus christ [Music] there's nothing i want more than for you to know that comfort and peace that is found in god through christ the only way for your sins to be forgiven is through faith in jesus christ he died on the cross to deal with your separation from god just breathe easy some some may be feeling like man i'm far from god because of my actions i just need to get i just need if i can just if you can help me get it all together then i'll be right with god you're wrong you'll never feel right with god why because you're going to fail again tomorrow and the next day and the next day and god still loves you i think he loves you enough that knowing you would do so he made a way for you to be right with him and his name is jesus he is the way the truth and the life [Music] you must believe in jesus i'm going to pray for you to join me in prayer god i thank you i thank you for the first evening service for the roots community church god i thank you that we can come confidently before your throne that now we know that we are in your presence because you have made a way for us to be right with you and right standing with you through jesus god as you have been at work as you have been at work even now during this moment [Music] god i ask that you would expand our expectations realizing you can do more than we could ever ask or imagine gotta help us to get our ask in alignment with your will that our prayers will be prayers in the character of jesus christ in the name of jesus christ god help us to prioritize and to focus and to look to jesus god as our hearts and in our minds begin to worry or have anxiety or fear that we would fear not that we would not worry that we would not be stirred up or anxious or troubled but that we would focus on jesus and find comfort and our as our hope is in jesus you have a place for us you have empowered us you have a mission for us along with you god i thank you for what you're doing we thank you for what you have already done as it is finished on the cross god work in us and through us for our good and to your glory jesus mighty name amen

Channel: The Roots Community Church

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Id: QgzBfGLQ89M

Length: 49min 11sec (2951 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 07 2020