Sermon Tone Analysis

Exegetical Idea: Jesus is the image of the Father and the Way to the Father.

Passage:

Exegetical Idea: Jesus is the image of the Father and the Way to the Father.

Homiletical/Big Idea: See, Know and Go to the Father through Jesus

Sermon’s Purpose: For people to seek Jesus to see God revealed and receive salvation.

Introduction

Relational division - lost someone?

Family member?

A personal story of disappointment or loss or lonliness?

It’s a pleasure to come here this morning and share these precious moments together as God’s people.

It is my sincere hope that if you have heard about Jesus, or even spent many years in churches but have never really put your trust in him you will be enabled to do that this morning.

If you are a follower and believer, I hope this time will encourage you and galvanize you for what is to come!

Let’s pray as we prepare our hearts and minds to hear God speak to us through His word this morning:

<PRAY>

Usually you need to be able to meet them, know them personally.

I have to start on a bit of a sedated note.

We will start sad, but there’s a happy ending I promise!

We have to start, like the bible reading does, by considering loosing someone very dear to us.

I’m certain that all of us here have lost people very close to us, friends, family members, spouses.... I’m sure for some of you it seems like a never ending list of people in your life who are passing beyond the veil of death as the years go by.

We know what it is like to be separated from those we love.

We feel the disconnect where we cannot see them, hold them or speak to them face to face.

It is devastating to be left behind by those we love.

You know, there are people that I know OF but don’t know them personally, I don’t have a bond with them.

I know OF Leonardo da Vinci.

I can know stuff about him, and I can go visit the Louvre and experience something of the man by seeing his artwork.

But, I cannot see and know Leonardo himself.

While I can experience something OF him, I cannot go meet him.

It’s beyond my human capabilities to be able to SEE, KNOW and GO to Leonardo the long dead artist.

You know, we have a similar problem when it comes to God.

As a mere man, I cannot SEE, KNOW or GO to God.

Yet I do want to see Him, Know Him and Go to Him.

Our heavenly Father is the greatest of all beings, he is love, he is mercy, he is kindness, he is the very embodiment of goodness and justice.

He is our peace and our blessing, and to worship him in his perfection of beauty is the greatest thing a human could ever hope for.

Yet if we are Christians, there is some hope!

There is hope that we might one day see them and be joined to them.

We may yet embrace them with joy!

Though in case of God I’m not merely constrained by the boundary of time as we are with Leodardo da Vinci, rather I’m constrained by my “human-ness” that makes it impossible to SEE, KNOW and GO to our Father.

There are things incompatible about yours and my nature that divide us from God, that fundamentally separate us from God.

For instance:

God is invisible, we’re visible

But that’s not our reality yet.

At the moment we live in the ups and downs of this present life.

Separated.

That’s the prospect that Jesus disciples are facing.

Jesus is helping his disciples come to grips with the fact that he is leaving them.

But it will not be a permanent separation.

He is not going to leave them alone forever,

God is unchangeable, we’re easily manipulated

He’s not going to abandon them,

He’s not going to give them up,

Instead Jesus is going to complete his mission to bring his people to Himself.

God is most holy, we’re impure

God is sinless, we’re sinners

It’s good that he goes away so that he can finish the work.

It means that not only will The disciples be able to be reunited with Jesus, but they will be united with God the Father himself!

If we’re so fundamentally different from God, can we ever expect to know God personally?

How can we see the invisible?

How can we go to the Spirit?

God is our Heavenly Father; he created us and sustains us.

He protects us and guides us.

He will judge us and reward us.

He is over us, and has concern for us, yet how can we ever know a Father so different from us?

They will get the whole package, all of God, in his blessedness, beauty and perfection.

Can the pot ever SEE the Potter?

Can the creature ever KNOW the Creator?

Can the art ever GO to the Artist?

Imagine that!

That people might be able to SEE, KNOW and GO to God the Father, to live with him!

Imagine that!

That we might be able to SEE, KNOW and GO to God the Father, to live with him!

No more relational separation.

No more shame.

No more pain.

For the Christian, being with the Father means eternal blessed joy.

Jesus lays out the picture of this in our passage today.

It’s a comforting and encouraging passage that shows us how to see, know and go to the Father!

Let’s look at the text of the passage in three sections.

A Place Prepared for Us (v1-3)

This story of Jesus and his disciples is set in a tense scene.

It’s the Last Supper that Jesus will share with his disciples.

It’s been a weird evening already, with Jesus washing their feet, and then talking about leaving, as if he were going on a journey without them.

The disciples were confused, especially when Jesus started to make accusations about a traitor in their midst.

Judas had run off on some unknown business, and then Jesus said some very hard words to Peter by predicting that he wouldn’t stick around when times got tough.

Jesus speaks to comfort his followers.

He says in v1: “Let not your hearts be troubled” ( ESV).

He speaks to assure them that everything is in hand, and that he goes to Prepare a Place.

He continues: “Believe in God; believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many rooms.

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

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Jesus speaks to comfort his followers.

He says in v1: “Let not your hearts be troubled” ( ESV).

He speaks to assure them that everything is in hand, and that he goes to Prepare a Place.

He continues: “Believe in God; believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many rooms.

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

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Jesus is saying that his upcoming departure is actually for their benefit.

Jesus isn’t off on a holiday, or starting a new job, he’s still on mission for their benefit.

He is getting ready to bring his Disciples to the Father, and Jesus is going to come back for pick-up.