Sermon Tone Analysis

Why were the disciples’ hearts troubled?

Christ had told them He was leaving them (13:33), that one of them was a traitor, and that Peter would fail Him (13:36–38).

This undoubtedly disturbed them all, for they looked to Peter as their leader.

Jesus Himself had revealed His own inward burden (13:21), although certainly His troubled spirit was in no way like their troubled hearts.

In this chapter, Christ sought to comfort the Twelve and quiet their troubled hearts.

He gave them five reasons why He had to leave them and go to the Father.

14 “Your heart must not be troubled.

Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you.

I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.

4 You know the way to where I am going.”

x

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going.

How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

V.1 Jesus says “believe”.....Believe denotes a personal, relational trust in keeping with OT usage So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.”

V2-3....take you to Myself.....Jewish bridegroom.....enter the Father’s house

V.6.....no one comes except thru Me.....Jesus alone is the way to God, because He alone paid the penalty for sin.

I. To Prepare a Place for Them (14:1–6)

Christ speaks of heaven as a real place, not merely as a state of mind.

He pictured heaven as a loving home where the Father dwells.

“Mansions” in the Gk. is actually “abiding places,” speaking of the permanency of our heavenly home.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.

Christ “the Carpenter” (Mark 6:3) is building a heavenly home for all who have trusted Him.

And He will return to receive His own to Himself.

Paul later amplified this promise in 1 Thes.

4:13–18.

“Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

Had Christ remained on earth, He could not have prepared the heavenly home for His own.

How can sinners ever hope to get to heaven?

Through Christ!

Read Luke 15:11–24, the story of the Prodigal Son, in connection with John 14:6.

Like the sinner, the boy was lost (15:24), ignorant (15:17—“came to himself”), and dead (15:24).

But he came to the father!

(15:20) He was lost, but Christ is the Way; he was ignorant, but Christ is the Truth; and he was dead (spiritually), but Christ is the Life!

And he arrived at the Father’s house when he repented and returned.

But calling Christ “the carpenter” ; was an insult.

Jesus was a Tekton, a builder, He was not a mere carpenter, He was and is a builder of people.

Jesus Reveals the Father

7 “If you know Me, you will also know My Father.

From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip?

The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?

The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own.

The Father who lives in Me does His works.

11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.

Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

V.8....Philip wanted a vision of God like Moses and Isaiah had received, but Jesus would not provide a direct vision of God (see 1:18; 5:37; 6:46)

II.

To Reveal the Father to Them (14:7–11)

Philip seemed to have trouble with his eyes: he wanted to see.

Almost his first words in 1:46 are, “Come and see!”

He saw the great crowd in John 6 and decided that Christ could not feed them (6:7).

The Greeks who came to Philip said, “We would see Jesus” (12:21).

Jesus made it clear that seeing Him is seeing the Father.

“From now on you know Him,” He promises in v. 7 (NKJV).

It is by faith that we see the Father as we come to know Christ better.

V. 9-11 Jesus speaks of His unity with God

Praying in Jesus’ Name

12 “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do.

And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

t

V.12 the “greater works” are based on the totality of the works of Jesus and when done would produce lasting fruit; and our works may be considered as greater because when we do the works that Jesus would have done, we do them in our abilities as humans, while He had supreme power (God incarnate)

V.14 .....”ask in His name”.....means that when we pray in God’s plan, and when what we are asking for will exalt and glorify God, then prayers will be answered, because we have aligned our thoughts and desires with those of Christ

Praying in Jesus’ Name

12 “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do.

And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

t

III.

To Grant Them the Privilege of Prayer (14:12–14)

While He was with the disciples, Christ supplied their needs (see 16:22–24); now that He was returning to heaven, He gives them the privilege of prayer.

He promises to answer prayer that the Father might be glorified.

To pray in “His name” means to pray for His glory, asking for whatever He Himself would desire.

The “greater works” spoken of in v. 12 refer to the wonderful miracles and blessings the disciples experienced as recorded in the Book of Acts (see Mark 16:20; Heb.

2:4).

The works He does through us today are “greater” in the sense that we are mere human vessels, while He was God incarnate ministering on earth.

Another Counselor Promised

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.

16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.

17 He is the Spirit of truth.

The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him.

But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

V.16....The Holy Spirit came to replace Jesus’ physical presence by indwelling the hearts of believers

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

19 “In a little while the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me.

Because I live, you will live too.

20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you.

21 The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me.

And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father.

I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it You’re going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.

My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

24 The one who doesn’t love Me will not keep My words.

The word that you hear is not Mine but is from the Father who sent Me.