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Christ, The Way, Message for Prayer Meeting Service, August 1, 2007 We will be spending some time tonight in the upper room with Jesus Christ and his disciples. We are to listen to a part of the discourse that Jesus gave his followers in that upper room the day before he was crucified. This discourse is presented largely in the book of John and we will enter into a part of it as he encourages his disciples for at this time they are a depressed group of men. He begins in John 14:1-11: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In 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. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus 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? 10Believest 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. 11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
At this point in time the Passover meal and the first communion service is over.
Jesus Christ, after having washed his disciples feet, has just told them that he is about to leave them and they cannot come with him.
He knows that His death is very near and that he will be going home to His Father.
He has also just told Peter and the disciples that Peter would deny him three times even before the cock crowed, in spite of Peter’s affirmations about his loyalty.
John, the disciple that Jesus loved, knew that Judas was to betray Christ and perhaps others were told in whispers around the table.
The humanity of the disciples was being displayed and Jesus Christ takes this opportunity to address the troubled spirits of his disciples.
This was a terrible time for them as they contemplated the words of Christ, dark words that fell upon their fleshly minds.
There is a lesson here for all of us in times of trouble.
The lesson is expressed in:
Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
How often this is neglected when we face trouble.
Where do you turn when trouble is at your door?
Jesus Christ makes it very clear where His own are to turn when trouble knocks at the door.
He instructs them to turn to God and to Him:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
See how clearly Jesus places himself in the same place of comfort as He places His Father
believe in God, believe also in me.
How often have these words brought comfort to the disciples of Christ in every age as troubles mount in every life.
Jesus uses the word “let” which means don’t’ permit your heart to be troubled:
Disciples, be in charge of your heart.
Disciples, don't permit your heart to be agitated, don't allow your will to yield yourself to trouble.
I ask you, to believe and trust in God, and to do the same in me.
You will be able to conquer a troubled heart by only believing and trusting in me, Jesus is saying.
Without that trust your heart will be troubled.
Remember my healing of the sick, my calming of the storm, my raising of the dead.
I will do nothing but that which benefits you.
You may lean to your own understanding, but that is an understanding of your own heart's making.
Lean to my word and accept my word.
Let God be your strength in the time of trouble!
Meditate upon this thought!
John 14:2 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.
What comfort he introduces at this point.
He points the disciples to their ultimate home.
He points them to his Father's house.
He points them to their home which he will prepare for them.
By saying this he is saying: Get your mind on where you are going and not on perceived troubles.
This is what faith brings.
If you trust in God and in me your troubles will grow strangely dim because you now see my Father's house and the place in my Father’s house that is prepared for you.
You are to lift up your eyes unto the hills from whence cometh your help.
I want you to think about the place of abode that I am preparing for you.
There are many places in my Father's house.
There are many rooms or abiding places and I go there now to prepare a place personally for each one of you.
It will be a place exactly suited to each and every one of my children.
It is not a pilgrim's place, a temporary place that withers and decays but it is an abiding place.
No repairs or maintenance will be required!
There will be no leaky pipes, no peeling paint, no rotten wood or rusted metal.
It is a permanent abiding place prepared by Jesus Christ himself.
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I want you to be heavenly minded because I tell you the truth about my Father's house.
I want you to have these hopes because what I say is truth.
I came to bear witness unto the truth!
John 14:3,4 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Disciples, I go and prepare a place.
I do not expect you to come to that place alone for your cannot find that place alone.
I will not send for you but I will come for you and take you to my Father's house.
I will conduct you there. I am the only one who will do that.
I will not send another, but I will receive you unto myself.
I will not leave you to your own devices.
Aren't we told in scripture that the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet whom?
The Lord! we are to meet the Lord in the air.
He will receive his own to himself.
that where I am, there ye may be also, he says.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord in the Father's house!
This is the Great Physician's cure for heart trouble.
· Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
· Assurance that the Father's house will be our ultimate home,
· that this home will fit our every need,
· that he will personally come and take us there himself,
· that we will be with him forever.
Don't permit your heart to be troubled, he tells his disciples and that instruction includes all believers.
Because: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
That means concentrate on God!
And Jesus Christ continues: And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
I just told you where I am going. I am going to my Father's house!
Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
I am going to my Father's house and I will prepare for your coming.
I know you are troubled by all things going on at this time but concentrate on what I am to do for you in my Father's house.
Arrangements must be made by me and when all is ready I will come again myself and receive you so we will be together.
I have plainly told you where I am going and the way in which you are to come to where I am going.
John 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Thomas still does not get the message from his Master.
But he does not hide his ignorance like many do, too afraid that others may think him empty-headed while themselves also remaining ignorant.
He questions his teacher. Thomas was earthly, Thomas was materialistic.
He did not understand heavenly messages.
He was bound by barriers of his own personality, culture and religion.
He had not yet been given the Spirit of Truth to show him things to come.
We have heard these words of Christ many times but this was the first time that these words were heard by the disciples.
Was the mansion some grand house near Jerusalem?
What road would he take to get there?
He thought in terms of him figuring out the way to the mansion and he thought of the mansion being on earth.
What did this all mean? He wants to know so he asks a question.
Doesn't a teacher like his or her students to ask questions?
Otherwise a teacher assumes his students know what he is talking about.
Thomas' question gave opportunity to Jesus Christ to expound more on this subject for the disciples benefit and for our benefit.
Thank you Thomas, for in asking this question we learn ourselves!
John 14:6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
My sister lives in Montgomery Alabama, having moved there from Chicago 10 or 15 years ago.
The first time I went there I followed very detailed instructions that she provided.
If I give you the same instructions and you follow them you also will be successful.
Getting there is accomplished by your believing my instructions and religiously following them.
It is a religious exercise to get there.
It is the believing and practicing of my word in order to arrive at the goal of getting to her house.
And it is done by your works.
Just follow the directions and you will arrive at my sister's house.
But getting to the Father's house is not like that.
You cannot get there by your efforts.
The way to the Father's house is not a set of instructions, it is not a religion based upon your works.
The way to the Father's house is not accomplished by your abilities, by your wit, by your intellect in following instructions.
The way to the Father's house is only through a person.
Now if I had a person to get me to my sister’s house I would have no need of instructions.
Someone comes along and says I will get you there.
Just let me get you there. So I sit back and worry no longer how to get there.
I just put myself into that person’s hands and soon I arrive at my Sister's house.
That is what Jesus Christ is communicating to Thomas and the other disciples.
Sit back and trust in me, he says. Depend upon me!
Let not your heart be troubled about such things, just depend upon me!
No man knows how to get to the Father, because the Father only reveals himself through his Son.
He is the way to the Father and he is the only way, there being no other way.
Since that is the case, there is no other option than to quit trying to get there by your own works and admit that your own works are getting you nowhere.
Cease from your efforts and admit that you are lost for there is no earthly map to the Father.
Thomas, you are to simply put your problem in the hands of the one who is the way to the Father.
Jesus Christ does not stop there. He also says: I am the truth! I am the truth of this way!
Note that he did not say that he speaks the truth.
Note that he did not say that he tells the truth.
Note that he did not say that he teaches the truth!
He simply said, I am the truth!
This means that anything, any dogma, any religion, any philosophy, every scientific, political or social theory that does not match up to Jesus Christ will ultimately prove itself false.
Jesus Christ is the standard that all must be measured against.
Man loves and desires to invent what he calls truth but whatever comes from the mind of man apart from Jesus Christ is a false and dark way.
Man lives in darkness because he does not know truth himself.
Even the oath, Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is impossible for man to truly keep, for the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is only found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you can only know truth by knowing Jesus Christ.
It is not discovered in a test tube or by social research or by experience.
Jesus Christ is the standard against whom all must be measured.
Man loves and desires to invent what he calls truth but whatever comes from the mind of man apart from Jesus Christ is a false and dark way.
Jesus Christ is not only the way to the Father, Jesus Christ is not only the truth of the Father but he is also the life of the Father.
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
By him all things consist. By him do all things have life.
Without him nothing has life. Christ is the life of this way.
He is the animating motive power by which we come to the Father, because he is life.
Without life imparted to us he is still the way to the Father, without life imparted to us he is still the truth of the Father.
But without life imparted to us we would not be able to go to the Father.
So he tells us that he is life, he is the motivating power by which we are able to come to the Father.
Without life, without Christ we are dead and unable to know the way.
We are unable to know truth.
So by Christ and Christ alone we know the way, we know truth, and we are given life to go to the Father.
That is why he can say with the authority of the Father that:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Is there another Christ? Is there another who is the way to God?
Is there another who in his person is the truth of God?
Is there another who imparts life so that man can now know the Father?
Religions of the world pretend to know.
Religions of the world offer detailed directions.
They offer sets of instructions to get to the Father.
They say follow these roads, follow these steps, and you will get to the Father.
By your works you will get to the Father.
By being good you will get to the Father.
By giving your body to be burned your will get to the Father.
Nowadays the call of many Muslim groups is to blow up your body in the midst of infidels and then you will get to the Father.
But Jesus Christ says no!
All of these directions to the Father are apart from him and they are false because the Father only reveals himself through his Son, Jesus Christ.
He does not reveal the way to him apart from Jesus Christ.
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
It is impossible to come to the Father except by the way to the Father and that way is Jesus Christ!
There is no other life giver, no other truth, no other way to the Father but Jesus Christ himself!
You come to the Father by the way of the cross or you don't come at all.
Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus!
These are the terms of God's mercy. You are to Take it or leave it but it can only be taken by receiving Jesus Christ!
God says it! That settles it! |