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The Third Sunday After Easter
Jesus Prepares the Way
April 13, 2008

TEXT:  NKJ John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 " If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
 
 
 
 
THE SETTING OF THE TEXT
 
Jesus—reclining in the upper room—finishing His conversation with the 11—just finished telling the 11 to love one another—as He loved them while with them—the disciples didn’t understand—now He comforts them with the words of the text—only with this background in place—can we truly understand verse 1
 
TEXT:  NKJ John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
 
More accurately translated “Stop letting your heart be troubled”—stop doing something you are already doing—there was no reason for the 11 to be troubled—if they properly understood Jesus’ departure—God sent Jesus to this earth on a mission—the mission was now almost complete—and Jesus was about to return to the Father—believe in God—believe in Me—Jesus is God—Jesus told us this more than once—and the disciples understood
 
NKJ John 10:30 "I and My Father are one."
 
NKJ Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
 
NKJ John 5:24 " Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
 
NKJ John 12:44 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 "And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."
 
Properly understood—Jesus is the Son of God—He has to return to the Father—His home is in heaven—just as our home is in heaven
 
NKJ Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
 
THE MANSIONS IN HEAVEN
 
NKJ 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. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
 
Right now God has His children—us—on earth—and God—God the Holy Spirit, dwells within us—our Christian bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
 
NKJ Ephesians 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
 
We are pilgrims—far from our heavenly home—yet so near—perhaps a few breaths away
 
The Old Testament words of David in the Psalms show us that this heavenly home has been known by believers for a long time
 
NKJ Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
 
What then does Jesus mean “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.”?
 
There is a place in heaven for each of the believers—the word translated as mansions means literally—permanent abiding places—and it doesn’t get any more permanent than eternity
 
Jesus goes to prepare a place for us—prepare the way for us to follow—the traditional custom of the Jewish wedding was for the Bridegroom to “go and prepare a place” for the bride—Jesus is the Bridegroom—the Church is the bride
 
Jesus will return to take us to heaven—He goes to prepare the Way—and send the unbelievers to eternal condemnation in hell—and to take the believers with Him to our home—we call that Judgment Day
 
WHAT IS THE WAY?
TEXT:  NKJ John 14:4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 " If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
 
The mere presence of Jesus—the victor over death—being in heaven with the Father—prepares the way for us—Jesus is our Redeemer—no one comes to the Father except through Him—Jesus stands before God—and God sees us through Christ—without Christ—none of us are worthy of salvation
 
Jesus is the only victor over the Law—the only man to defeat death—and thus He prepared the Way—note that He doesn’t say “I show you the way” like a second Moses—but “I Am the Way”—He doesn’t say “I have the truth” like a second Elijah—but “I Am the Truth”
 
He doesn’t say “I lead you to life” as one of the Apostles—but “I Am the Life”—there’s only one way to heaven—and that is through our Savior—Jesus Christ
 
JESUS REBUKES THE ELEVEN
 
TEXT:   NKJ John 14:8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
 
Was Philip thinking of the glory of the Lord shown to Moses on the mountain?
 
 
NKJ Exodus 33:17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." 18 And he [Moses] said, "Please, show me Your glory." 19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
 
God said you cannot look upon My face and live—Philip apparently has faith in Christ to show the Father—but lacks the faith to know that Jesus and the Father are one
 
God the Father sent Jesus—Jesus is God the Son—Jesus sent the Holy Spirit—the Holy Spirit is God
 
Philip wants to look at the Father with his physical eyes—and this would be of absolutely no benefit—Philip was with Jesus when He addressed this same question with the Jews
 
NKJ John 8:19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."
 
How can Jesus be the Father?  How can the Father dwell in Jesus?  Similar to the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
 
The works—the Miracles that these men had seen—healings—sending out of devils and spirits—raising from the dead—calming storms—walking on water—How could any of them doubt?  Perhaps they were remembering the Pharaoh of Egypt and his magicians
 
NKJ Exodus 7:11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
 
But we remember that the Pharaoh and his magicians were defeated by God—they trusted in the power of men—they were defeated by the power of God—we who believe that Jesus’ victory over death is our victory over death are saved by the power of God
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!