Where Are You Going?

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

John 14:1-12 - May 9, 2004

EASTER 5

JOHN 14:1-12

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In 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. 3And 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. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

9Jesus 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’? 10Don’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. 11Believe 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. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

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Dear Christian Friends:

Where are you going? Maybe someone has asked you that question when you have been in a rush to get somewhere. Maybe you will ask other people that question this month. May is the month known for graduations. This month you may be invited to a graduation or two. The graduates will get to hear, "Where are you going? What are you doing?" The same question comes before us this morning is "Where are you going?" Sometimes we might not have much direction in our life, and we may be in no big rush to get anywhere. But all of us have to be going somewhere at one time or another.

Our Lord talks about the path we can take in this life. As believers we know there are two paths--the path that walks in the way of the Lord and the path that doesn’t. In Matthew Jesus uses these words: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (MATTHEW 7:13,14). Thus our Lord says to us as He spoke to His disciples;

Where are you going?

Our answer is -- I. Lord, show us your way – after the Lord has shown us his way then we are reminded -- II. Lord, You are our Way

I. Lord, show us your way

Once again the setting of our text is very important. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples on the night He was betrayed. It was Maundy Thursday, and the disciples were going to face great difficulty and heartache. Therefore Jesus encourages His disciples as our text begins: 1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. Jesus said this to them, because He had just told them one of them would betray Him. This betrayal was not something they should be troubled about. Instead, they should trust in God. As they would trust in God, they would also trust in Jesus. They were to prepare for Jesus’ departure. Jesus reminds his disciples about his departure: 2In 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. Of course, Jesus is talking about heaven. He is going there to prepare a place for His disciples. A room! How comforting it is to have your own room.

Jesus’ assurances for the disciples are in these words: 3And 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. Jesus is not only saying that He is only going ahead to prepare a place but going ahead to prepare a place and to also return and take them with Him.