"What Are You Like?" Series

“An Interview With God”

WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?

John 14:7-11

May 11, 2002

Introduction

Have you ever had a pen pal? In past school years, my wife has had the students in her class form pen pals with the students from a class from a different state. Usually, the other class’ teacher is a friend of my wife’s from college. I get to read the letters most of the time. Remember, these are kids in the 1st through 3rd grades. The kids write about what they like and what they don’t like, their favorite toys or cartoons and they usually try to describe what they look like. Some of the kids even send a picture of themselves along with their letters. Almost always at the end of each letter, the student will ask, “What are you like?” “What are your favorite things?” “What do you look like?”

Tonight, as we continue our series, “An Interview With God”, we ask God, “What are You like?” This is a valid question for us to ask. If we are going to give our allegiance, our worship and our very lives to God, it would be nice if we knew what God is like. God would agree with us on this. He wants us to know who He is and what He is like. God has given us the answers to what He is like. THESIS: The answers to knowing what God is like are found in Jesus.

But what qualifies Jesus to tell us what God is like? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, meaning that he is in fact God. John 1:14 speaks of the Incarnation of Christ. John 1:14, “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.” The word “Incarnation” simply means, “God taking on flesh”. This is what John 1:14 describes; the Word, Jesus becoming flesh and living with man as a man. Philippians 2:6 goes on to further establish that Jesus is God. Philippians 2:6, “Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” Jesus’ very nature was that of God. Jesus is equal with God. Colossians 1:15-20 goes on to describe the deity and nature of Jesus as God. Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” These verses describe Jesus as the “image of the invisible God” (vs. 15). When we see Jesus, we see God. They also describe Jesus as having all of God’s fullness dwelling in Him (vs. 19). Jesus was completely human, but he was also completely God. So, we come to the same conclusion as Alister McGrath, as he writes, “God is revealed in and by Jesus.”

Tonight, we are going to be looking at a few verses from the book of John 14. Jesus is speaking to his disciples in John 14. He has just told his disciples that he will only be with them a little while longer. He is going away and they cannot come with him. He attempts to comfort them by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them and that he will return to take them back with him. Jesus’ words to the disciples in John 14:7-11 are prompted by Thomas’ question in vs. 5, “we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:7-11, “’If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ 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.’”