1. Have info, but still lost…
a. Have any of you seen the new movie “Matrix Reloaded”? …
It’s a pretty good movie. For those of you who do not know, the movie is about a group of people trying to defend themselves against an army of machines. Much of the movie occurs in what is known as the Matrix – a virtual reality where most people who are in it think it is real life. The hero is called Neo, and he has to find the way to defeat the machines. One of the first scenes has Neo walking through a hall full of doors that all look alike. As our hero is to discover, there is one door in particular that he has to go through, but only one person has the key to that door and Neo has to find that person and go through the door. The thing is, when the movie starts, he does not know where he is going or how to get there. All he knows is that he has to talk to the person who knows both WHERE he has to go AND how to get there. I don’t want to give too much of the movie away for those who have not yet seen it, so all I’ll say about it is that it turns out he already knows much of what he needs to know, he just didn’t realize he knew it.
Sometimes this is the same situation we find ourselves in – we might have all the information we need, but still not know what to do or how. This is the sort of thing the disciples were facing in today’s text.
Let me give you the background: Christ and the disciples were having what has come to be known as the last supper. The conversation in Chapters 13 and 14 relate the last supper from John’s point of view. Jesus had just said, in John 13:33, that where He was going, the disciples could not go. Now having said that, let us read the verses which are of particular interest to us today, John 13:36-14:7.
John 13:36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! 14:1 “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.”
2. Have you ever listened to someone speaking and wondered where they were going with what they were saying? Have you ever heard someone say something and felt they were leaving something out? This is what the disciples were experiencing here.
a. The first thing out of Peter’s mouth was a question:
John 13:36a Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
b. It is evident that Peter did not understand that Christ had been teaching the disciples during their time with Him where Christ had to go. They had spent YEARS with Him, but did not yet fully understand. They had the information, but did not understand the message. Peter, like the Bible teaches in James 1:5, asked for clarification. He wanted to understand, so he asked.
Our hero in the “Matrix Reloaded” also did not understand where he was going, so he asked. As I said, it turned out that he DID know but did not realize he knew.
In the same way, many times God has given us all the information we need, but we still do not understand. In those times, you and I are to follow the example that Peter gives us here and ask God when we do not understand. James 1:5 tells us God will give us the wisdom we need.
c, Immediately, Christ answered Peter:
John 13:36b Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
Now, it still was not clear enough for Peter, but he had asked and God, in the person of Jesus Christ, answered. He was probably referring to the fact that He was to be crucified, and that Peter would be crucified later (an early church leader, Origen of Alexandria taught that Peter was crucified head–down[1]).
d. Of course, Peter responded in a way that was typically his:
John 13:37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
There’s no doubt Peter meant it. He had shown through out his time with Christ that he had strong faith and loved Christ a great deal.
e. But many of us respond to God with good intentions. The thing we have to remember is that, while we may intend to do what we think is God’s will, sometimes we face strong opposition. We see something of this in John’s version of Christ’s response:
John 13:38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
It is easier to see the opposition we all face at some time or the other in Luke 22:31-32, where Christ tells Peter (also known as Simon):
Luke 22:31 ”Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
While we may intend to do the right thing, God sometimes lets Satan ‘sift’ us. While its probably not Satan’s intention, the ‘sifting’ helps us to grow and become more like Christ. It is during those times of difficulty that Christ is working to ensure our faith does not fail and that we will be able to use those times later to help others.
3. Basically, in times of difficulty, we are to do just what Christ said in John 14:1
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Christ told the disciples, AND us, that when we face difficulty, we are to not be upset, but to TRUST in God the Father and God the Son – Christ. Notice that this is not saying to believe there IS a God, but to trust IN God, and IN Christ.
There is a difference between believing something is true and trusting in it. You might say you believe you can use a 20 year old car to drive from Miami to New York City, but you have to trust in that car to drive to New York City.
Those who believe there is a God but have no trust in Him AND in Christ can not be true Christians. We have to trust in Him, otherwise we are condemned. To see this, we only have to go to John 3:36:
John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
a. Continuing with today’s text, we see Christ say why we should trust in Him:
John 14:2 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.
Christ told the disciples where He was going and what He was going to do. He was going to heaven to prepare a place for each person who trusts in Him. But what are the implications of that statement?
i. First, notice that there IS a heaven and that it is large enough for everyone who believes in Christ.
ii. Second, notice that Christ went to prepare a place specifically for those who trust in Him.
iii. Third, Christ will return for those who trust in Him. We can see this in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17:
1 Thes. 4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Christ is coming back!
iv. Fourth: God WANTS people who trust in Him to be with Him in Heaven. And we can see THIS in John 6:40:
John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
v. These are ALL very important things to realize. Otherwise, what hope do we have? Without trust IN God and IN Christ, we have no hope.
4. Getting back to our text, Christ told the disciples that they KNEW the way to get to where Christ was going:
John 14:4 “You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Christ is saying the disciples have all the information they need to get to where He was going. Many times, it is the same with us – when we face a difficult situation, God has already given us what we need to know. We just may not realize we have the information we need.
a. But what if you do NOT know where you are going? Sometimes we have the information, but that does not mean we know what to do with it. Do YOU know where you are going? If you do not know where you are going, then ask God. This is what the disciples did:
John 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Thomas still did not understand. He had the information, but it was not sufficient to have information, one has to understand. Since Thomas did not understand where Christ was going, he did not know how to get there. So he asked!
5. Christ responded very clearly, answering the request of Peter and Thomas as clearly as was needed:
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This is a deep statement! But what does it mean?
- The first thing to realize is that Christ answered Thomas’ request for understanding. As I mentioned earlier, that’s how God works: You ask for wisdom, and He answers! This time He was even more clear than before.
- The next thing to see is that Jesus was not just a person who shows the way to where to go; Christ himself said that HE is THE road. There is no other way to get to where He went (heaven) than through HIM.
- Christ is also THE Truth. He is not just saying that He speaks the truth, though He does do that. He is THE Truth. He is the bureau of standards for truth. He is the one who sets the standards by which truth is measured. Christ is the one who created everything (including the physical laws that run the universe), and because of that, He is the one who decides what is true.
- Christ is also THE Life. He is not simply saying that He is alive, though He is. Christ is the origin of life – from the lowest plant and animal to the highest spiritual angel. Everything was created by Him, for Him and through Him. Without Christ, there IS no life, physical OR spiritual. If you want to live, it HAS to be through Christ.
- The ONLY way to get to God the Father is through Christ (Acts 4:12). With this one statement, Christ has stated religion without Christ is meaningless. No cult, no work, no person, no philosophy, no religion can bring you to God – only Christ
i. For some people, this statement is very hard to accept. Some people think that it is very dogmatic. Other people think that people who say this are very closed-minded. Other people think it is not politically correct or progressive.
ii. But the thing is, truth tends to be closed-minded. Truth is dogmatic. And truth is not concerned with political correctness. Truth simply is. 2+2 = 4 is true. It does not matter if you want to say 2+2 = 0, the fact is, its STILL 4. Regardless of how one feels about truth, it is still truth. It does not matter if someone says it is that it is nighttime, when it is really daytime. The truth is, it IS daytime. And belief IN Christ IS the only way to heaven.
iii. Turn to Acts 4:12, where we see Peter say this very thing to the religious leaders in Jerusalem:
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
6. In the book of John, chapter 14 verse 7, we see that Christ supported his statement that belief in Him is the only way to heaven by stating:
John 14:7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Another profound statement. But what does it mean?
Christ is saying that if you TRULY know God, then you have to know Christ as well. You see, Christ is the visible manifestation of God the Father. Christ is GOD! God the Son, but God none the less. If you know Christ, then you know God. You can not truly know one without knowing the other, for with the Holy Spirit, they ARE the God of the Universe, the creator, the alpha and omega.
6. Now that we’ve gone through the text, let me summarize:
- If we do not know where we are going, we can ask God. He will answer. He loves to give wisdom to those who seek it through Him.
- Sometimes when we respond to what God tells us, we still have to face difficult times and the cause might not be you, but Satan.
- Regardless of the cause, we are to not be troubled, but must trust IN God the father and IN Christ.
- We should trust In Christ because there is enough room in heaven for every believer, plus God WANTS us to be with Him in heaven and Christ is preparing a place for each person who decides to trust IN Him.
- We should trust in God and in Christ because Christ is the only way to be with God in heaven. He is the not only the road, but the truth and the life you are seeking.
Let me end this with question: Where do YOU think you are going if you die today? Do you know HOW to get there?
[1]Douglas, J. D., Comfort, P. W., & Mitchell, D. (1997, c1992). Who’s who in Christian history. Illustrated lining papers. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House. Quoted Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History 2.15.2; 3.1.2.
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