Going for Glory
0 Amens
INTRO ; Bob Mitchell funeral, showing all the construction projects he left behind as a building inspector – impressive buildings and we could say from a human perspective an impressive impact on the civilization of man. But is this really what Bob Mitchell wanted to leave behind, buildings?
Well let me pre-empt your answer and ask this question? What did Jesus leave behind? Because as he makes his plans to leave his disciples, he actually speaks of a little building campaign that he has in mind. More on that in a moment,
Let’s first establish our context for today’s message.
In John 13:1 we read, Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John and his feasts! Passover, and at this feast, Jesus was going to have a final meal with his dear disciples. He will take the specific teaching meal of
Before the meal, he proceeds to wash his disciple’s feet. He is the master of the banquet, he is their master teacher, and yet he performs the duties of a household servant. But is that what Jesus wanted to leave behind? That he could be humble even though he was great? Or he just didn’t like dirty feet…
What did Jesus really want to leave behind?
Mine eyes have seen the glory 5 times in two verses. And we know that what Jesus is going to encounter in his life is a very long night of trails and persecution leading up to his crucifixion, and I wonder – where is the glory in all this? How can all the cruelty and confusion lead to any ounce of God, or Christ being glorified?
Now, I don’t want to sound pie in the sky! This world is filled with many unspeakable stories of human suffering; But Jesus and his disciples just celebrated a meal of redemption; It was the lesson they were to learn about Israel’s escape from their trails of persecution and slavery in Egypt == that God could take tragedy and bring about something glorious à but they had no idea that they were about to see their eternal redemption unfold before their very eyes in Christ’s cross work – so between John 13 and John 18, we have all kinds of dialogue from Jesus== 4 whole chapters of dialogue before Jesus’ arrest in the garden, and these 4 chapters begin with the theme of Glory!
So after their meal, in Vs. 33 Jesus indicates that he is leaving them
John
In this conversation Peter sounds a little offended that Jesus is going to leave him. Peter announces his devotion toward Jesus and describes himself as a “good shepherd,” willing to lay down his life for him. Jesus responds with the prediction that Peter will not have the stamina to endure the slightest challenge to his convictions.
At this point, Jesus doesn’t want his disciples to endure what he will go through, --yet. Before Jesus dies, He wants to teach his disciples a reason why they should live, and he does so by describing a marriage custom of his day in chapter 14.
John 14:1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going."
In the 1st century, when a daughter was of marrying age, her father would select a husband for her from the eligible bachelors available. There was a celebration when the groom-to-be and the bride-to-be were announced. After the toasts were made and as the party concluded. The groom-to-be would say to his future bride, “I am going to my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you so that you can be with me.” And he would leave, and she would stay – she was not allowed to go with her betrothed, she waited in her father’s care. This future groom would then build a room or a home on the family complex. A particularly wealthy family would have an area designated for a grand courtyard with the anticipation that multiple sons would build future family residences on the perimeter – there could be many rooms. WHEN the construction of the new place was completed, and the Groom’s Father gave the OK, the groom would gather his male friends and begin his marriage “party parade” toward his beloved’s home, and she, along with her maidens, had to be prepared to show up to the party when it arrived at her home, and she had to be prepared to leave with him when the party was over, to go to her new dwelling place.
This is John 14 is describing, this is the wedding of
So Jesus says to his disciples, “And you know the way to where I am going." MEANING, I am going to my Father’s house to prepare a place for you, and I will return. SO there is here, in Jesus’ mind, that whatever he believed about his upcoming trails ahead of him that night – He completely intended on returning physically to his disciples to take them with him. Why did Jesus even dare use this analogy of every day life if he did not fully intend to deliver on the promise to return. What is Glorious Here is that not even death can separate Jesus from his beloved!!
With this context, there is even more power to the verse we skipped in John
It’s as if Jesus is saying that, while I’m gone, and preparing a place for you, if you act like my wedding party: loving each other, encouraging each other, preparing each other for my return… The world will know that you really belong to someone, and they will note your true devotion as you remain engaged to your duties of preparation!
The disciple Thomas then asks a question about where Jesus is literally going: John 14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
Jesus’ response to this is also glorious! It is one of the most quoted portions of scripture identifying the true focus of the Gospel – that Jesus is the absolute crux of God’s salvation – there is no other way, there is no other truth, there is no other life that the Father endorses for our eternal redemption – it is only in - and with - and through - Jesus Christ.
`We must walk in the way that Jesus maps out for us,
``We must confess the truths that Jesus has revealed,
```We must live the life that Jesus lived in order to be ushered into the loving presence of the Father
– In other words, we must become a son of God, just as Jesus is.
And how might that happen? – that would be to follow the prescription John outlines in his opening chapter: John
WE MUST – receive him as the returning groom and believe that we belong to him! Jesus is the righteous son of God, the true son of
Apparently, as I’ve read on some theological blogs of late, the modern day Rabbinical movement rejects the notion that mankind needs “someone to come along to salvage our bad decisions or save us from them” – Which is just another attempt to define an alternative way, truth, and life -- Everyone is quite pleased to come up with their OWN way, truth, and life and to reject the one that God provides in Jesus ---- HOWEVER, Jesus says that this is not a matter of personal preference or interpretation! We must acknowledge HIS way, HIS truth, and HIS life, or we will never find peace or favor with the Father; we’ll only be at odds with Him à the reason we are EVEN able to acknowledge this way, truth, and life, to follow Jesus, reveals that God has birthed into us a new and living faith that rejects all the other ways, and truths, and life’s that do not lead to and through Jesus.
SO the glory that Jesus reveals to Thomas question is that Jesus’ way, and truth, and life will be the way of the Cross, and of death – and for us too, this is the only way, truth, and life ---- Because Christ’s death becomes our death and his resurrected life becomes our resurrected life! Jesus traveled this way, and rose again to life so that we might take confidence in the fact that his way, truth and life brings us into the welcoming presence of the Father! And that we can even know something as specific as the way, truth, and life, without him being physically here to direct us! That will be glorious for the world to see our unity on this matter when we just know the way, truth and life, as sons of the Father!
The next question comes as a result of a request of Philip in John 14:8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."
Philip expresses the ultimate request of all time: Just show us the Lord – that’s all we need, that will be enough! ENOUGH? This was very similar to the request that Moses asked of God – “Show me all of who You are!” Moses wants to know who it is that he is really dealing with, and thinks that by some vision, he will be able to comprehend all of God’s attributes. Of course, God is a bit bigger than our ability to take him in –
And so here is Philip, making the request that a good Jewish boy should have learned already with Moses, and Jesus responds with hint of, “What do you think I’m doing here?”
14.9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
This again covers material that we have discussed at length. To know God, we must know Jesus. Why? Because all of who God is that could be revealed for human observation was “stuck in a time and a place and a body” in Jesus.
But Jesus admits that just staring at him isn’t going to show you the Father, it is in seeing what he does. NOW, not everyone could see that Jesus was from the Father by evaluating his works. Their eyes were blinded to the idea that God would actually assume a real body and a reasoning soul, in Jesus.
But certainly, Jesus’ closest followers should realize that He is the fullness of God in bodily form. And then Jesus says something really profound! I do great works because of God dwelling in me, and one day, YOU GUYS will do great works because of me, and YOU TOO will glorify God as I do.
WOW< One of the reasons why Jesus is leaving is to supply his followers with the capacity to do great works which bring glory to God. Are we capable of such works? Healings and feedings and death cheatings? According to Jesus, even greater works than these…
Jesus will do glorious things in and through us when we ask him to do it. And in our asking, we should be asking for that which will mark us out as agents of Jesus== like asking to receive the grace and power to be more loving, and to keep his commands. And to be directed by God’s Spirit whom Jesus will send to all those who are sons of God.
The discussion of the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT is KEY to the glories of the Christian life. And Jesus will say much more about the person and activity of the Spirit – So I will reserve next week to spend more time speaking about this…
But there is something very glorious about Jesus’ answer to Philip about SEEING the Father; Jesus said that people all over the world will be able to see the greatest work of God through the very people of God indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Not anymore in
The Apostle John makes this clear in his letter 1 John
We have a final question of Jesus from -- Judas (not Iscariot) -- John 14:22 who said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"
This is a question in response to Jesus saying that he will not reveal himself to the entire world, but to those who love him. The witness of Jesus will cross over the entire world; but not to every person of the world, only those to whom he is engaged…
And isn’t this a profound place to end before we enter into an extensive instruction about the HS—That God the Father and God the Son, through the person of the HOLY SPIRIT would make our very bodies His home?
Yes, Jesus is going away to prepare a place, but in the meantime, he will dwell within us by His Spirit. Jesus says that a group of people are going to love him, and it will be evident as to who these people are because they will love his word, they will keep it, obey it, defend it, protect it, and practice it. This group of people will be like the betrothed bride who is living in a home, awaiting her new home. But since she knows her groom, the anticipation of living with him impacts her heart today – it’s like having the blueprints of the future dwelling in our minds, but longing to see the completed project.
And all of these questions reveal something glorious about what Christ’s life will accomplish, that even after he departs, THIS is what he will leave behind: A group of people who will
1. live as a wedding party, encouraging each other to be prepared for the arrival of the groom – it would be glorious to see that – to see a group of people who are actually anticipating God’s Glory to visit them!
2. this group of people, without the physical presence of their savior, will be able to instinctively know the way, the truth, and the life and be unified about it – it would be glorious to see that!
3. that this group of people would not simply sit idly by awaiting their groom, but that they would even perform greater works than he, inspired just by their asking!!! That would be glorious!
4. that this group of people will be uniquely different than the rest of the world because at the core of their being– the blueprints of destiny will be upon their hearts --- so that NO MATTER where these people actually live == they will know that this is the place that God has placed them because Jesus has made his home within him – and an important truth to embrace even when living in this culture makes us feel like we don’t belong! I KNOW the Bible says not to get attached to this world, I believe that, and this is not what I am saying. I’m saying that we need to be attached to Jesus, and since he has us HERE, awaiting His return, We need to demonstrate that Christ’s home and his claim and his rule is evident within us so that we will be prepared to inherit the eternal reality for which we long!
I started with a discussion of a dear saint who passed away rather suddenly, and for those of you who knew him, we know that he didn’t live to build earthly buildings, but to build a faith in his family and church – he was unique in his life and love simply because he was obviously filled with the spirit of God who was building something within him – Bob (the builder) is now truly a living stone of the eternal dwelling that Jesus has built –– and what a joy it will be for us to share in this glorious God project! And though we may have questions about it, as four different disciples did, we can rest assured that God will complete the task for which he sent his son, an eternal truth, an eternal relationship, and an eternal dwelling for his beloved to the praise of his glory!
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