Text: John 14:1-9
Title: The way to heaven
Introduction:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 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. 3 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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 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’?
1.The subjects that trouble our hearts the most are often the subjects associated with dying.
In particular “Not knowing for certain what happens to us after we die” is very troubling to our hearts
In John 14 Jesus starts out by telling us to not let these things trouble our heart.
Because you and I can leave here today knowing for sure where we are going after we die.
In our text we see Jesus do the following 3 things for those who are troubled in heart.
1.Jesus confirms the existence of heaven.
“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.” (v2)
Heaven is not a fairytale, wishful thinking or a figment of someone’s imagination. Because Jesus said that if there was no heaven He would “have told us so.”
2.Jesus also gives us a description of heaven
“In my Father’s house are many rooms;
Jesus describes Heaven as being God’s house which has many rooms.
1. A modern view of heaven
Some people think when we get to heaven we are all going to have separate mansions.
2. A Jewish view of heaven
2 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. 3 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.”
In Jewish society after a man and woman got engaged the man would return to his father’s house and start building on an extra room. Only after the room was finished would the man go back, marry the woman and bring her to her new home.
1.We have seen Jesus confirm the existence of heaven
2. We have seen Jesus give a description of heaven
3.Now Jesus spends the largest portion of our text TELLING US THE ONLY WAY to get to heaven
When it comes to the right way to get to heaven Christianity differs from all other religions.
Most religions other than Christianity believe that there are many different ways to get to Heaven; that all roads lead to God.
But Jesus the founder of Christianity would answer…
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (v6)
Let’s be clear what Jesus is saying;
I am not a way but the way. I am not a truth but the truth. I am not a life but the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.
Since these claims of Christ are offensive to other religions what is the evidence that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
1. The mission of Jesus (v7-10)
“If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 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’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?”
What was the mission of Jesus?
The mission of Jesus was according to our text to show us the Father and to help us to know Him.
What did Jesus show us about the Father?
A. Jesus came to show us that God the Father is love
Jesus came to earth to show us how much God loves the world. And because God loves the world he naturally wants everyone in the world to spend eternity with him in heaven.
However most religions say Jesus’ mission stops here. Because Jesus showed us that God the Father is love that means everyone who has any love in them is going to spend eternity with God in heaven.
But was God’s love the only thing Jesus came to show us?
If Jesus is the only way to heaven there must be something else Jesus came to show us about God the Father?
B. Jesus came to show us that God the Father is also Holy
God the Father is love but God the Father is also holy. Jesus came to show us the love of God and Jesus also came to show us the holiness of God.
How does Jesus show us the holiness of God?
He shows us the holiness of God by the way he lived.
Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father.
And because Jesus lived a perfectly holy life Jesus is God’s standard to live by.
God’s standard of holiness to get into heaven is Jesus.
No wonder the Bible says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Jesus is the only way to get into heaven because only Jesus meets God’s holy standard.
The only way I can get into heaven is to Trust in Jesus.
To do exactly what we are told to do in verse 1
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
This might help you put your heart at ease.Jesus tells us to trust in God and to trust also in Him.
A. Trust in God by believing that God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with him in heaven.
B.Trust in Jesus by believing that Jesus made a way for you to spend eternity with God in heaven through his holiness.
Question: Do you know for sure that you are going to heaven when you die?
Answer. You can only know for sure if you are trusting in Jesus for your salvation!
I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.
Prayer.
God I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. So thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Today I invite Jesus into my life as my savior. I ask that you apply the holiness of Christ to my life. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus. And thank you Jesus for purchasing for me a home in heaven through your death on the cross. Amen.
