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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XX, John 14:7-12 - Lesson 128
Read Verses John 14:5,6 for review: Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus Christ continues in his instruction to his disciples as he says in John 14:7:
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
You are deficient in your knowledge of the Father because you are deficient in your knowledge of me!
The Father is known just so far as the Son is known.
You cannot know the Father any more than the Son reveals him to you.
Don't try to know the Father apart from Jesus Christ.
God has not given man the ability to discover God.
He has chosen to reveal himself only through his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Any Father, any god that is known apart from Jesus Christ is not the Father, not God, but only a god hatched in the deceitful and desperately wicked heart of man.
and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
This is a promise to the disciples that they will know Jesus Christ in a Spirit revealed way.
Soon God's Spirit, at Pentecost, will fill in the blanks of their mind and they will know that they have seen the Father because they have seen the Son.
John 14:8.9, Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
Thomas' lack of knowledge and faith was revealed by his question, "how can we know the way?".
Now Philip wants Jesus to show him the Father.
Quit talking and show me something!
I want to see something visible.
He did not perceive that Jesus by his very life of perfect obedience to the Father had shown Philip the Father.
This is the message to us.
Look at Jesus Christ and you have seen the Father.
He is the express image of the Father.
He and the Father are one.
John the Baptist asked, Do we look for another?
The world keeps looking for another, refusing to look at Jesus Christ.
But Jesus Christ is telling Philip and he is telling us that there is no other revelation of the Father except that which is revealed to us by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the all sufficient revealer of the Father.
Look for no other revelation, Philip!
What I have shown you is all that the Father will reveal.
It is faithless to look for that which God has not revealed.
Stop expecting some extra-revelation and focus on me!
In me dwells all the fullness of the God-head bodily!
John 14:10,11, Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
Again Jesus Christ joins himself to the Father.
Notice the pre-eminence he gives his word.
The words that I speak is what he emphasizes.
I don't speak words of myself but I speak the words of the Father that dwells in me.
The word is pre-eminent to his works.
Notice that he infers that if you have trouble believing his word that he is in the Father believe him for his very works' sake.
Jesus Christ wants his word believed.
His word is pre-eminent!
This is a principle of the pre-eminence of the word over works and it is a principle that applies also to the word of man.
Word should always be given pre-eminence over works.
A child will be taught that Mom's word, that Dad's word is pre-eminent by the work of the switch.
But the work of the switch is secondary to the word of the parent.
It is only a teaching tool to show the child that the word of the parent is to be given pre-eminence.
It only enforces and verifies the pre-eminence of the word of the parent.
If you use the switch for any other purpose you misuse the switch.
It must point to the pre-eminence of your word!
And Jesus Christ, our master teacher, expects his disciples to believe his word.
But he says that if you are not ready to rise to this plane of belief then believe me for my works sake.
They were babes and babes need milk.
They are in primer class and they need help.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
He that believeth on me.
In other words, he that believeth my word shall do works as I have done works, and even greater works shall he do.
I am going to my Father and give you my word, which if obeyed, will bring you to do greater works than I have done.
I will be with the Father mediating for you.
I will be at the right hand of the Father, receiving your requests sent up in faith. |