Let’s begin tonight by giving thanks to what the Lord has been doing in each of our lives. I know that it is God that is doing these things. We are dependent on the Lord and His stirring our hearts.
We can study, and train, and discuss what needs to be done and what should be done, but it will always be God (and God alone) that moves us.
Text: John 14:22 & 23 (NIV & NKJV)
Prayer:
In our text we find Jesus talking with His disciples about His relationship with His heavenly Father. We should keep in mind that even though the disciples were getting to know Jesus better with each day, they didn’t necessarily have a connection with the Father of Jesus.
That is, they were getting to know Jesus, but I wonder how well they knew God. Why is this important?
I believe that many times Christians will know what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and they may rightfully call themselves Christians. And yet some people may not sense a connection with God.
As an example, I have met many people who call themselves a Christian but do not know God. Admittedly, they don’t feel close to God.
They ask questions like,
“Where is God? How can I really know God?”
I believe Jesus knew that even though the disciples were close to Him, they did not know God.
The obvious is that this is one of the reasons why Jesus was sent from heaven. So that man would know God.
Let me show you what I mean.
Jesus referred to His Father in heaven almost 200 times in the gospels. Most of those times, He would speak in the third person. By that I mean Jesus would say things like, “My Father…your Father…the Father…”
I believe that Jesus is sensitive to our frailties and inadequacies. He knows what is best for us.
Jesus knows that many of us have trouble relating to God. Many people do not understand God.
It is also obvious to me that Jesus loved to talk about His Father. Jesus made sure the disciples knew how pleased He was about His Father.
Jesus talked about Father God quite often.
Jesus was very close to His disciples, and he knew the disciples felt distanced from having a relationship with Father God. Church, this is still a common problem with the followers of Jesus living in our day.
It seemed that Jesus spoke often about His Father. And the more He did, the more the disciples were intrigued. The disciples knew Jesus had a very unique relationship with His Father. As a result, they wanted to know more.
This is one of the reasons why it is so important for us to study the life of Jesus. It is so that we will first know Jesus, and secondly know OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
Any man should consider himself fortunate to have a strong relationship with his father. This can make a big difference for any man, and especially for women.
Oftentimes, the relationship a man has with his father will determine whether or not that man is strong and disciplined in his own life.
A great father will mentor great sons and daughters.
A good man or woman will covet the godly counsel and wisdom their father has.
In our text, we can see the disciples standing around and listening to what Jesus had to say about His Father.
I suppose that Peter had a great relationship with his father. But as Peter would listen to Jesus, he began to realize how much Jesus truly loved His Father. Peter knew that Jesus had something much more with His Father than Peter did with his.
When the disciples listened to Jesus they:
· Wanted to know more about the God Jehovah, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
· Sensed the presence of Jehovah God with them.
They could see and touch and know the physical Jesus.
But they were just like you and me. The disciples could not see God with our eyes, or hear God with their ears.
Jesus desires for us to know His heavenly Father.
To know Jesus is to know His Father.
Jesus had (and still has) a meaningful relationship with His Father, and He wants to share that with all of us.
The question Judas asked in verse 22 is our question.
“…Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
Let me rephrase this question:
When I listen to Jesus speak, or when I read His words, I sense the presence of God. But how will the world ever know you, Lord?
This is a challenging question for all of us to consider.
Jesus revealed Himself to us, but how will the world ever see Jesus? I think I can see how the Lord will do this.
There is a progression that happened for the disciples.
1. Teaching of the Word.
2. A passionate giving of ourselves to the teaching of the Word.
3. As a result, there is a dwelling (an abiding) of Father God.
This is not my thinking, rather this is what Jesus is saying. Jesus wants you to know that he desires for He and His Father to come to you and make His home with you.
The more you listen to the words of Jesus, the more likely you will have a divine visitation from Jesus. We must experience the reality of the Gospel.
There is much more than a list of rules to live by.
We must begin to experience the Glory of His Truth.
One of the unique things about receiving the Word of God is that it will separate you from sin.
But the question is, where does it separate you to.
If you are going to be taken from where you are in sin, you must realize that the Lord will take you somewhere.
It is called the glory of the Lord. It’s about being in His presence all day, and everyday of your life.
When this happens, the Word of God will -
· Take on a new meaning for us.
· Become more relevant to you.
· Become a necessity for your life.
You won’t be able to live without the Word.
Not many Christians understand this thinking, but the Christians living in third world countries do. Ask any missionary from a depressed and impoverished nation.
They tell me that their people may be lacking many things, but they do not lack the compassion and friendship of the Lord.
I have had missionaries explain this to me. They tell me that (by comparison where they have come from) their people depend heavily on the Word of God much more so than the Christians living state side.
Have you ever met a missionary that while home on furlough, they couldn’t wait to get back to the mission field? This is the reason why.
Typically, their congregation (back home) have all of their hope and faith exclusively on the Word of God.
They can’t make it in places like Haiti, India, and South Africa without the power of God’s Word.
The Word of God is their lifeline for survival.
Real missionaries from desperate nations of poverty genuinely feel more sorry for we Americans than they do for the people they minister to overseas.
They tell me their people may be without food, shelter and clothing, but they are not without the presence of the Lord.
Missionaries tell me they see more people who are lonely here in the states than on the mission field.
This is an opportunity we often forget. There is a growing emptiness for many people. Few people are able to sit home anymore. Our culture (here in the states) love to go out to places where people gather.
The malls, the movies, the arcades. And for the most part there is nothing wrong with this.
I enjoy going places and I know you do to.
But let us be careful to understand that we should not rely on the public hangouts to take the place of the Lord wanting to be at home with us.
Closing:
As a church,
· We should know that the Lord enjoys fellowshipping and being with us.
· We should make ourselves more available to the community for gatherings.
We really do have something the world can’t find down at the mall, movie house, and restaurants. When the people we know go to those places, they are met by people that are being paid to be nice to them.
We should offer our fellowship to our friends, neighbors and loved ones. This can be a good outreach for us to win souls. We should be an example to this community.
We should have more going on for this community than they can find anywhere else.
We have the Lord at home with us.
