Well happy Mother's Day! Yesterday, Lara and I spent the day with my mom. Today, we will spend the afternoon with Lara's mom. We thank you so much for worshiping with us this morning. I trust you are doing everything you can to appreciate your mom!
We have to trust God through all of life's troubles.
Over the last few weeks, we've been toiling with this idea of trust, and questioning God when life is on the brink. First, we asked the question, "Why is this happening to me? Why do I have trouble in my life? Why is there so much pain? Suffering? Violence? Personal loss? Grief? Hardship?" There are no simple answers, but one thing is certain. Things happen in our life to teach us to rely on God, who raises the dead, instead of on ourselves. 2 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV) is our why. It's that we would trust God. And as Jesus told his disciples in John 9:3, trouble comes into our lives not necessarily because of a particular sin, but always that the work of God might be displayed in our lives.
But then last week we asked, "What does my future hold?" As I rely upon God, what can God do for me? What is he capable of doing? What might I expect? And then most importantly, what can I know God absolutely will do for me when I trust him? We should pray boldly, confidently, expectantly, and persistently in all things. But ultimately we expect God to do for us exactly what he did for Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) is our hope. "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also."
Our trouble should deepen our reliance upon God. Hebrews 5:8 tells us that although Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience by the things he suffered. Jesus wasn't exempt from trouble. But what made Jesus exceptional was that he trusted God, even in suffering and even in death, to raise him from the grave. And God was faithful.
What is my path forward?
Now this morning we turn our attention to a third question. What is my path forward? How do I get from the trouble I am experiencing to that place God would have me be? This is a deeply practical question. It's something we think about every single day. And this isn't just our question. It was the first of the twelve disciples' questions.
Find John 14 in your Bibles. In John 14:1-4 (NIV) Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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."
Now keep in mind that when Jesus said this statement, he wasn't going to the supermarket to get eggs or milk. So let's just get right down to it. What was Jesus talking about? Where was he going?
Where was Jesus going?
This is something that is quite remarkable about Jesus. He always had an assurance about himself, a sense of identity and direction and purpose. Not many people have that today. Not many moms or dads. Not many adults, and not many young people are sure of their direction and purpose. We go to work. We go to school. We go on vacations. We go out. We go home at night. But where are we going?
What Jesus tells his disciples is that he is going to the place where the heavenly Father lives. That's what he said, that's what his disciples heard, and that's what they reacted to. Jesus' claim is so outrageous that Thomas (one of his disciples) confronts him! In John 14:5 (NIV) Thomas says, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Is there a road? Is there a secret passageway? Is there a map?
But Jesus' response in John 14:6-7 (NIV) is even more provocative! "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
Whatever point Jesus was making about his messianic identity was immediately lost on his disciples. Because in the very next verse, John 14:8 (NIV), Philip says, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
When push comes to shove, that's what all of us really want, isn't it? To see God? To see the place where God dwells? For the past 5-6 years, the world wondered where Osama Bin Laden was living. We raced to our televisions to learn about his secret hiding place. Well, where does God dwell? Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us!
The disciples had already seen God the Father.
But Philip missed Jesus' point. Jesus' point was that not only did they know the way to the Father, but they themselves had already known and seen the Father!
As Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) begins, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." As Colossians 1:15 (NIV) says, "He is the image of the invisible God..." John 1:14 (NIV) says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Look again at John 14:6 (NIV). Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is our "way" into the Father's presence. Jesus is our "truth" who reveals the Father's glory. Jesus is our way to gain eternal "life." Apart from Jesus, there is no other way into the presence of Father, there's no way to know the Father in truth, and there's no eternal life.
But look again at John 14:7 (NIV). "If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Our path forward isn't a place or a destination or a method or a technique or a coordinate. Our path forward is a person. It is our Lord Jesus Christ who is standing before our very eyes. He's inviting us to come and follow him.
Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus.
In John 14:9-14 (NIV) Jesus continues, "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 are not just my own. 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 miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He 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 Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
So what is our path forward?
Not only is Jesus our path forward, but he himself is our destination.
Jesus is the one who helps us see the Father more clearly. Jesus is the one who ushers us into the Father's presence. Jesus is the one who speaks to us the words the Father would say. Jesus is the one who shows us God's love and does the mighty work of God in our lives. Jesus is the one who inspires greater faith in the Father as we pray. Jesus is the one who who brings glory to the Father's name.