Heaven on Earth
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted
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Heaven on Earth
Heaven on Earth
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.”
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.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
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.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
This chapter relates to four inquiries of the disciples:
1. Lord, where are You going?
2. Lord, what is the way?
3. Lord, show us the Father
4. Lord, how can you manifest Yourself to us and not the world?
These four inquiries address five ‘relational aspects’ referenced by Jesus
1. Leaving and Coming (15 Aspects)
2. Believing and Working (17 Aspects)
3. Knowing and Seeing (15 Aspects)
4. Loving and Keeping (13 Aspects)
5. Positioning and Dwelling (17 Aspects) [“In My Name” (3 Aspects)]
Let’s address the Aspects as they answer or address the respective Inquiries / Questions of the disciples
Aspect 1 His Leaving and Coming…
“Leaving and Coming” (15 different references in this chapter)
Answers questions 1 & 2…
Lord, where are you going? (Chapter 13 carry over)
Lord, what is the way?
The Gospel – Verses 1-6 [ Key Verse]
Aspects 2, 3 & 4 Our Believing and Working, Knowing and Seeing, Loving and Keeping
“Believing and Working” (17 different references in this chapter)
“Knowing and Seeing” (15 different references in this chapter)
“Loving and Keeping” (13 different references in this chapter)
· Combined 45 different references to these relational aspects
Answers question or inquiry 3, “Show us the Father”
· Believing leads Working; Believing and Working leads to Knowing;
· Knowing leads to Seeing; Believing, Working, Knowing and Seeing leads to Loving; and Loving leads to Keeping
Loving:
· God’s love towards us… Agape – Unconditional (Gracious)
· Our love toward one another – Love your neighbor as you love yourself
· Our Love toward one another – New Command “As I have loved you.”
· What about our Love towards God?
Loving Jesus is not the same as keeping His commands, it gives rise to keeping His commands (the result of loving Him, not the same as loving Him)...
· Jesus has no defect, so our love for Him is not ‘gracious love’, the way God loves us...
· Rather love for Jesus is based in His deserved state, entirely deserved...
· He is infinitely worthy of being loved... not in spite of who He is but BECAUSE of all He is... and
· That kind of love produces in us a desire not to DO excellent ‘things’…
· But, to delight in Our most Excellent, Majestic, Sovereign, Almighty, EPIC Savior... and
· Doing excellent things becomes the byproduct of delighting
· Doing ‘excellent things’ is ‘keeping his commandments / word’...
Aspect 5 God’s & Our Positioning and Dwelling…
“Positioning and Dwelling” (20 different references in this chapter)
Answers question of inquiry 4 “Lord, how will You manifest Yourself to us and
not to the world?
The last question includes a promise from Jesus… just a few hours before he goes to die for them. The sum of the promise is: The Father, the Holy Spirit, and I will be with you forever. We will never forsake you no matter where you are.
HEAVEN ON EARTH…
Consider verse 2 and verse 23
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.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23
The Greek word for Mansion in verse 2 and the Greek word for Home in verse 23 are the same…
Greek: Mone (Mo-nay)
Verse 2 refers to our ‘future’ home in heaven… (In the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Verse 23 refers to our ‘current’ home here on earth… (The Spirit in us already, and the Father and the Son will come to us and make Their home with us…)
No longer just the Temple of the Holy Spirit… But, literally Heaven on Earth – Father, Son and HS…
Jesus modeled this as an example and ensample to us… It is how He lived (being fully man) showing us “How?” to live…
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
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.
So let us Love Him and Keep His word, and let us both know and experience the fullness of God in our lives… and the beauty of this will include… hearing from them, knowing from them, and therefore our asking will be more “in His name”… and we will see the manifestations of our believing and God will be glorified in our lives.