Old Testament Reading: Exodus 33

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.’ When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’’’ Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’ And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.’” (Exodus 33, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 14:4-11

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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? 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. And you know the way to where I am going.’  Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ 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’? 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. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.’” (John 14:1–11, ESV)

Introduction

It seemed good to me to begin the this sermon by remembering the illustration of a husband going on a long journey and leaving his wife behind.

It would be a most terrible thing if a husband just up and left on a long journey without saying a word to his family. Even if the trip were a good one, and for a good purpose, he would be a fool to up and leave without a word. No, a husband would need to prepare his wife for his departure. The purpose of the trip would need to be communicated. The wife would need to be in agreement that the journey is worth, while and for their ultimate good. Provisions would need to be made for her so that she could thrive while her husband is away. Where will she get the money that she needs? How will she care for the children? How will she communicate with her husband while he is gone? How will the marriage relationship be strengthened and maintained? How how will she be kept safe? You can picture a husband and wife sitting together on a couch discussing these things, can’t you?

John chapters 14-17 are not much different. What we have here is a farewell address. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure from this world. He has made it clear that he would have to go away for a time, and he is here comforting his disciples, explaining to them how they will get on in this world without him.

So it is no wonder then that John chapters 14-17 contain some of the most beloved passages in the whole Gospel. This entire section is practical. It applies deeply to you and I. True, Jesus was speaking to the eleven who remained with him there in that upper room, but he was preparing them to live in the age between his first and second comings. And that is the age in which we live! What Jesus says to his disciples, therefore, applies deeply to you and I.

We are the bride. Jesus is the bridegroom. He has departed from this earth for a time. But he has not left us unprepared or without necessary provision.

The disciples of Jesus were troubled at the news that their Lord was going away. Jesus comforts them saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1, ESV) This advice is simple and yet profound. What better advice can be offered to a troubled soul than to say, believe in God; believe also in Christ?

Jesus also comforted them with these words: “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?” (John 14:2, ESV) Here we learn that Jesus’ departure was for a good reason; his departure was for our good. He has gone to the Father, not to sit in idle inactivity, but to prepare a place for you and me and all who believe in his name. The place that he has gone to prepare is ultimately the new heavens and new earth as described in Revelation 21.

He also brings comfort with these words: “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.” (John 14:3, ESV) A husband may go on a long journey to build a home for his wife and children. If the journey is for a good purpose, the family should ultimately rejoice in the departure of the man. But they can only rejoice if they know that in the end the husband will return and take them to be where he is. That is what Christ has promised to you and me. He has gone to prepare a place for us, and he will return to take us to be with him where he is.

Notice, though, that what has been said so far is only about, one, the fact of Christ’s departure; two, the reason for his departure; and three, the end result of his departure (that is, his return to take us to be with him). What has been said so far is indeed good and encouraging, but little has been said concerning how we are to get along in this world while he is away. We have been exhorted to believe in God, and to believe also in Christ, and that is certainly good! But Christ gives us more.

In fact, the rest of chapter fourteen on through to the end of chapter seventeen is all about the way of the Christian in the time between Jesus’ first and second comings. He tells how to get along. He gives us what we need – the instruction that we need, and the sustenance that we need – so that we might walk with him faithfully in this world as we wait for him to take us home to the Father.

Notice three things in verses 4-11: First of all, Jesus has not left us to wander aimlessly in this world, but has provided a way for us. Secondly, Jesus has revealed the Father to us in a way sufficient for the journey. Thirdly, Jesus again calls us to go on believing in him, that we might have strength to the end.

Jesus has not left us to wander aimlessly in this world, but has provided a way for us.

Notice first of all that Jesus has not left us to wander aimlessly in this world, but has provided a way for us.

Given what has been said so far, we might reason to ourselves saying, Lord Jesus, it is indeed comforting to know that you have gone to prepare a place for us. And it is also comforting to know that you will return for us so that we might be where you are for all eternity. But what about now? How are we walk between now and then? Jesus shows us the way. 

This point emerges in the dialogue that takes place between Jesus and one of his disciples named Thomas.

In verse four Jesus says, “And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:4, ESV) The word “way” could also be translated “road” or “path”, for that is the idea. Jesus would soon leave his disciples on earth and go to the Father, and he expects that his disciples know the way (metaphorically speaking) to the Father. He expects that they know how to get from where they are now to where they will be for all eternity in the presence of God.  They know how they are to walk, if you will. Why does he expect that they know this? Because he had walked with his disciples for over three years, instructing them along the way concerning these things!

But listen to how Thomas responds: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5, ESV) How are we to understand this reply? Did Thomas really not know the way? Was Jesus wrong in his assessment of his disciples when he said, “And you know the way to where I am going”?

I think Thomas (as well as the other disciples) understood more than they let on here in this moment. There is evidence throughout this Gospel that they knew Christ truly. Also, Jesus does say that they “know the way” – we cannot ignore this fact. But in the heat of the moment, being overrun with despair, their hearts being troubled by the circumstances which pressed in upon them, the disciples of Christ floundered.  They had much more to learn, it’s true. But they knew these things. It seems that the pressures of the moment shook them to the core, causing them to flounder even in the foundational things that they already knew.

“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”, Thomas says. How could it be that Thomas did not understand where it was that Christ was going? Jesus had made it clear! From the Father he had come, and to the Father he would return. Jesus was going to prepare a place for them “in his Fathers house.” This had been said plainly time and again!

Notice that Jesus only addresses Thomas’ statement, “Lord, we do not know where you are going”, in a round about way. Instead he focus in upon Thomas’ objection, “how can we know the way?” Jesus responded to Thomas saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

This is one of the most famous verses in all of the scriptures, and rightly so. Notice a couple of things about it:

First of all, notice that Jesus’ final destination is “the Father”. And this too should be our greatest desire, to be with the Father and the Son for all eternity. This is what makes heaven, heaven. This is what makes paradise, paradise. We were made by God, and we were made to know him. He is our greatest treasure. He is our life. In him – that is, in the knowledge of him – are pleasures forevermore.  We should agree with Augustine, saying, “[God] you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.” 

Some long for heaven thinking of it as a place where all of their fleshly, worldly, and (quite frankly) sinful desires will be fulfilled. They have a rather pathetic view of heaven which reveals the sick condition of their hearts. When they think of heaven they think, first of all (and dare I say, only), of fleshly things – food and drink, material possessions, and physical pleasure. Brothers and sisters when we think of heaven, we should think of God. We were made by him and for him. He will be the one who will satisfies our greatest desires. He should be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of that glorious place. Oh, how good it will be to see God face to face. How good it will be to behold his glory, to grow forever in our knowledge of him, and to worship his holy name, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.

Secondly, notice that this verse makes clear that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. In other words, no one will go to heaven except through faith in Jesus Christ. This same point has been made in John’s Gospel in other ways. Jesus revealed himself as the door of the sheep. This gives us a visual of what is stated here in John 14:6. He is the only door – the only way – to the Father. If anyone is to go to God he must go through the Son. Of course what this means is that they must to the Father believing upon (or trusting in) the Son.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16–18, ESV)

Many are offended by the words of Jesus here. Our culture is wholeheartedly opposed to exclusive claims like the one that Jesus makes, when he says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It seems that the only unforgivable sin in our day and age is to make an exclusive claim. To say that Jesus is the only way sounds like the hight of blasphemy to the ears of the postmodern man. “How arrogant of you to claim that there is only one way to God”, they say. “And how narrow minded of you to think that your way is that only way!” You can hear their objection now, can’t you?

This question came up at our Jr. High study just this past week. A student asked, “what if someone believes or trusts in God but is not a Christian? Will that person be saved?” It is here in John 14:6 that we have the answer to that question. “Jesus said to [Thomas], ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, ESV) If we are to go to the Father it must be by way of Jesus, the eternal Son of God come in the flesh, who is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Salvation is found in him, and in none other.

Here is where there confusion exists, I think. If we were claiming that Jesus was nothing more than a religious leader who started a great movement, now known a Christianity, and if we believed that his prime objective was to teach morals – that is, to make people better and more well behaved – then it would make little sense for us to say that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Certainly the argument could be made that other religions can increase morality in man. Why then is “salvation” not possible through those forms of religion. In fact, why is religion needed at all if the objective is to be a better person? Can’t an atheist accomplish this on his own?

But this is not what the Bible teaches concerning Jesus. Jesus was not merely a religious leader, he was the Son of God come in the flesh, the Messiah promised from long ago. And he did not come to teach men how not to be better people so that they might earn their way to heaven. No! He came to pay for the sins of men.  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ES), said John the Baptist. He did not primarily come to teach us how to be better people that we might work our way to God. No, he came to bear our sins in his body on that tree. And he alone could do it, given his utterly unique nature as the God-man. He was the utterly unique Christ, the anointed one of God.

Man’s problem, you see, is that he is a sinner. And as a sinner he stands condemned. He can nothing about it on his own. He needs his sins to be covered, paid for, taken away. To whom else can we turn if not to Jesus Christ. He alone is the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This is why Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

Thomas was struggling with two things: Jesus, We don’t know where you are going, and we don’t know how to get there. Jesus addressed both questions: Thomas, I’m going to the Father, and I am the way to him. 

Jesus is the way because he is also the truth and the life.

He is truth from God. He has revealed the Father to us. He is the light of the world. You and I can tell the truth, but Jesus is truth! Think on that for a moment.

He is also life. You and I can possess life, but it is life given to us by the grace of God. We are dependent creatures. We do not posses life in and of ourselves. But Christ is life.

He is the giver of life. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1–4, ESV)

He is the sustainer of life. The writer to the Hebrews says that Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…(Hebrews 1:2–3, ESV)

And he is our eternal life! Paul exhorts us in this way: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4, ESV)

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5, ESV)

I picture Thomas loosing his head there for a moment, but Jesus set him straight.

Jesus says to him in verse 7, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7, ESV) More needs to be said about this verse, but for the sake of time we will move on (see endnote).

Jesus has revealed the Father to us in a way sufficient for the journey.

As soon as Jesus was done with Thomas, one of his other disciples spoke up with another objection. This time it was Philip.  And it is through Jesus’ interaction with Philip that we learn that Jesus has revealed the Father to us in a way sufficient for the journey.

“Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” (John 14:8, ESV) Perhaps this request could be paraphrased with the words, “Lord, we would rather not wait. Show us the glory of God the Father now, and we will be content with that.”

There is a connection that exists between Exodus 33 and this request from Philip here in John 14:8.

In Exodus 33 the people of Israel are about to begin their journey into the wilderness. In John 14 the disciples are about to begin their journey in the world after Christ goes to the Father.

In Exodus 33 Moses is troubled at the thought of going it alone without the presence of God. God had threatened because of the sin of the people, saying, “but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” And “When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.” The people repented and God relented, agreeing to go with them (God does not truly repent – it is only from our perspective that God seems to repent).

“And [God] said [to Moses], ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And [Moses] said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:14–16, ESV)

That the presence of God be with him, and with the people, is Moses’ greatest concern.  He was troubled at the thought of going it alone. And so it was with the disciples in John 14.

And look now at Moses’ request.  After the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name”, Moses made this request of God, saying, “Please show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:17–18, ESV)

Philip’s request echoes Moses’ request. He says, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us”. In other words, Show us the glory of the Father now, please. Show us God’s glory in the same way that God’s glory was manifest to Moses’. Prove to us that you will go with us just as God reveled himself to Moses proving that he would sojourn with Israel in the wilderness. 

The interesting thing to notice is that Jesus did not place Philip in the cleft of a rock in order that the glory of the Father might pass by him in visible form. This was Moses’ experience. Jesus urges Philip to see that his experience was in fact greater than Moses’!

“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’?” (John 14:9, ESV)

Jesus Christ has revealed God the Father to us. He was and is God incarnate – God come in human flesh.

Remember the opening chapter of John’s Gospel. There we were told that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)

Paul says it this way: “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15–16, ESV)

The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…” (Hebrews 1:1–3, ESV)

The point is this: Moses indeed saw the glory of God, but those who saw the Christ, who was and is God incarnate, beheld the Father in a way greater than Moses did. “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’?” (John 14:9, ESV)

There is a difference between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is a man. In him are two natures, the human and divine, united in one person forever. It is not right to say Jesus Christ equals God the Father, or that Jesus is the Father. There is not a one to one correlation between the two. There are very important differences between Jesus Christ and God the Father. Nevertheless, Jesus could say, “whoever has seen me has seen the Father”, for he is the one who has revealed the Father to us in a most full way. He was and is Immanuel, which means, God with us. In him was the divine nature.

This is what Jesus gets at in verse 10, saying, “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.” (John 14:10, ESV)

Philip wanted to see the Father. Jesus’ reply was, Philip, I am sufficient. I have reveled the Father to you in a most full way. In me you have beheld the glory of God, “glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” To see me is to see the Father. To know me is to know the Father.  

Jesus is enough, that is the point. He is sufficient. We are to be content with him in this age between his two comings. Yes, we long to see the glory of God in full. Yes, we long for that day when we will behold the Father in an unveiled, unobstructed way. But for the journey before, Jesus is enough! Indeed, he is more than enough. He is the way, the truth, and life. He is the way to God the Father.

Jesus calls us to go on believing in him, that we might have strength to the end.

And for this reason Jesus calls us to go on believing in him, that we might have strength to the end.

Look with me at verse 11. Jesus says, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:11, ESV)

“Believe me”, Jesus says. In 14:1 he said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” And now in 14:11 he again says, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” This is what Jesus has to say to his troubled disciples who are floundering in a moment of weakness. Believe in me! Have faith in me! Trust in me! Trust in my person. And trust in my work. 

Conclusion 

So here is how the Christian is to walk in the time between Christ’s first and second coming. He is to walk in Christ, for he is the way, the truth and the life. He is to walk in Christ knowing that it is in Christ that the Father is revealed. And he is to walk in Christ, believing in him, trusting in him, depending upon him for all things.

Jesus Christ is everything to us, that is the point. He is the beginning, middle, and end. He is our everything. He is our life. He is sufficient for us in this life in every way.

Endnote: The Textual Critical note in the NET Bible is helpful here: “There is a difficult textual problem here: The statement reads either “If you have known (ἐγνώκατε, egnwkate) me, you will know (γνώσεσθε, gnwsesqe) my Father” or “If you had really known (ἐγνώκειτε, egnwkeite) me, you would have known (ἐγνώκειτε ἄν or ἂν ἤδειτε [egnwkeite an or an hdeite]) my Father.” The division of the external evidence is difficult, but can be laid out as follows: The mss that have the perfect ἐγνώκατε in the protasis (Ì [א D* W] 579 pc it) also have, for the most part, the future indicative γνώσεσθε in the apodosis (Ì א D W [579] pc sa bo), rendering Jesus’ statement as a first-class condition. The mss that have the pluperfect ἐγνώκειτε in the protasis (A B C D L Θ Ψ Ë 33 Ï) also have, for the most part, a pluperfect in the apodosis (either ἂν ἤδειτε in B C* [L] Q Ψ 1 33 565 al, or ἐγνώκειτε ἄν in A C Θ Ë Ï), rendering Jesus’ statement a contrary-to-fact second-class condition. The external evidence slightly favors the first-class condition, since there is an Alexandrian-Western alliance supported by Ì. As well, the fact that the readings with a second-class condition utilize two different verbs with ἄν in different positions suggests that these readings are secondary. However, it could be argued that the second-class conditions are harder readings in that they speak negatively of the apostles (so K. Aland in TCGNT 207); in this case, the ἐγνώκειτε…ἐγνώκειτε ἄν reading should be given preference. Although a decision is difficult, the first-class condition is to be slightly preferred. In this case Jesus promises the disciples that, assuming they have known him, they will know the Father. Contextually this fits better with the following phrase (v. 7b) which asserts that “from the present time you know him and have seen him” (cf. John 1:18).” (https://lumina.bible.org/bible/John+14)

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 37:15–28

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.’”(Ezekiel 37:15–28, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 14:1-3

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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? 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.” (John 14:1–3, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I want to begin to our consideration of the text before us by remembering things that happened long ago. It will eventually become clear why it is that I am introducing this sermon in this way. We should begin our consideration of John 14 by first of all remembering that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”, that is, all things visible and invisible. The scriptures tell us that “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1–2, ESV) I think you would agree with me, this was no place for man to dwell. This empty and chaotic darkness was by no means suitable for man. There was no place for him in this dark and chaotic abyss.

And so God began to bring the earth into shape. He began, by the power of his word, to form and fashion the earth into a realm suitable for his creatures.  “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:3–4, ESV) He then divided the waters below from the waters above – the sky and the sea were created. And then he separated the seas from the dry land, and the dry land produced vegetation. These realms God created so that they might be filled with their proper rulers.

And that is in fact what God proceeded to do. Now that the earth was brought into shape – now that suitable realms had been created – he proceeded to fill those realms with things that would govern them. The scriptures tell us that on day four of creation God created the sun, moon, and stars. These were placed within their proper realm in order to rule the day and the night. In like manner God, on day five, created the flying creatures and the sea creatures, and they were placed within the realms created for them on day two. They were to multiply and fill the sky and the sea. And on day six we are told that God filled the land, which was created on day three,  with “the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:25, ESV)

The creation account of Genesis 1 follows this pattern: realms were created, and then those realms were filled with creature kings. A place was made – light; the sky and the sea; dry land – and then those places were filled with God’s creatures who were given the task of governing in one way or another.

But you say, there is more to the creation story! And you are right! In Genesis 1:26 we hear of the pinnacle of God’s creation:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26–31, ESV)

Much can be said about the creation account of Genesis 1, but what I want you to see is that at the heart of it is this idea: God made a place for man. He created all things visible and invisible by the power of his Word. He then, by the power of his Word, brought the earth out of its formless, empty, and dark state. And he did so until there was a place where man could dwell.

Genesis 2 tells us the same story but from a different vantage point. It zooms in upon man. Man, we are told was created directly by God. He was created from the dust of the ground. God breathed into him the breath of life. And the woman was taken out of man. After man was created by God he “put the man whom he had formed” into the garden paradise that he had created (Genesis 2:8, ESV).

Church, there is a question that we must answer before we move on. And the question is this: what made that garden paradise, paradise? Have you ever considered that? We might be tempted to think that it was the climate, or the lushness of the place? Perhaps it was the abundance of food? Or maybe it was the absence of sickness and death. These things certainly contributed to man’s enjoyment of paradise, but may I suggest to you the thing that made paradise, paradise, had nothing to do with the physical creation, but rather had everything to do with the fact that it was there that man walked with God. Eden – the original creation – was like a temple where man enjoyed unbroken, unhindered, unmediated, fellowship with the God who made him. Adam and Eve walked with God. He was their God, and they his people. God tabernacled with man there in that place. God is what made paradise, paradise.

Those of you familiar with the Bible are aware of the fact that Genesis 1and 2 are followed quickly by Genesis 3 which tells us of man’s original sin, the fall. The consequence of the sin of our first parents was that paradise was lost. The wages of sin is death. Sickness and suffering became the norm. Man was put out of the garden paradise, the way to the tree of life being blocked. But more than all of this we should notice that man lost his place before God. No longer would he walk with God in an unbroken, unhindered, unmediated way. No, he was now a sinner. He was a child of wrath. He stood guiltily before God – condemned.

But as you know, God showed mercy to fallen man. In an act of sheer grace he promised to redeem. He promised to defeat the evil one. He promised to send a Savior. God promised to make a way for fallen man to dwell with him. The Bible, as complicated as it may seem, is really quite simple – it is the story of God making and keeping his promise to save a people unto himself through Jesus who is the Christ.

With that in mind let us now move from our consideration of the creation and fall forward through the history of redemption. Let us pass by Able and Seth, Enoch and Noah. Let us move past Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And passing by Moses and David let us now fix our attention upon Jesus, who is the Christ, the Promised one from long ago.

Picture him there in the upper room with his disciples. He had walked with them for over three years. He taught them many things. He preformed miracles before their eyes, and in the sight of others. They believed that he was the Christ, the Savior of the world, and they expected him to remain forever. But now he is talking about going away. In John 13:33 we hear Jesus say, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” (John 13:33, ESV)

The disciples were troubled at this word. They were greatly distressed. They were bothered at the thought of their Master going away. After all, they expected him to remain forever! They thought to themselves, why does he need to leave? Where does he plan to go? Will will see him again? And how will we possibly get along in this world without him? These were the thoughts that were troubling the disciples of Jesus.

Notice that Jesus brings comfort to his disciples. That is what John 14 is all about. Jesus is comforting his disciples concerning his departure. And not only did he comfort the 11 who remained with him in the upper room on the night of of his betrayal and arrest, but he, by way of extension, also comforts you and I who live in this age between Christ first and second coming.

And how does Christ comfort those who are his who will live in the time between his first and second comings?

Christ commands us, saying, “let not your hearts be troubled.”

Look at verse 1. Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1, ESV) Isn’t this like our Lord! We know that he himself was “troubled in spirit”, and yet, even with with the weight of the world upon his shoulders, his gives himself to the task of comforting his disciples with the words, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

These words were originally for the 11 disciples who remained, it is true. But they are also for you and me. Jesus says to all who are his who live in this world between his first and second coming, “Let not your hearts be troubled”.

Christian, do you see that this is a command? “Let not your hearts be troubled”, Jesus says. It is an imperative in the Greek.  And as a command it is something that we are to obey. When our hearts are anxious – when our hearts are troubled with the cares that come with living in this world – we are to hear the command of our Savior saying, “let not your hearts be troubled.” And upon hearing his words, we are to obey them.

Christ urges us, saying, “believe in God, believe also in me.”

Thankfully there is substance to the command. There is weight behind it! You and I might say to one another, “don’t worry”, or “be happy”, but there is little substance to that. We might respond to encouragement like that saying, but why should I not worry? Or, why should I be happy? Jesus gives us a reason. He says,  “let not your hearts be troubled”, but he does not leave us with and empty command. He directs our attention to God and urges us to take comfort in him! “Believe in God; believe also in me”, he says. I can think of no greater reason to refrain from fretting than to remember the God who made us and love that he has for us in Christ Jesus. And that is where Jesus directs our attention. “Believe in God”, he says. And “believe also in me”

And so what are we to do when our hearts are filled with angst? We are to heed the command of Christ! We are to run to God and place all of our trust in him. We are to follow the advice of Peter who urges us to, “[cast] all [our] anxieties on [God], because he cares for [us].” (1 Peter 5:7, ESV)

Christ encourages us, saying, “I go and prepare a place for you.”

But Jesus goes further than this as he comforts his disciples assuring them that he his departure is for good a reason. It was not a purposeless departure, but a purposeful one. His departure was for their benefit as he would go away in order to prepare a place for those who belong to him.

Verse 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?” (John 14:2, ESV)

When I hear these words the image that comes to mind is that of a husband going away to prepare a place for his bride. Now there is a vast difference between a husband leaving his bride for no good reason, and a husband going away in order to prepare a place for her. In both instances the bride will undoubtably experience a measure of trepidation concerning the departure of her husband, but the two things are entirely different. In the one the departure is for no good reason and to no good end; in the other the departure is for a good purpose – a purpose that will eventually benefit the bride. When a husband separates from his wife for a time in order to prepare a place for her, the wife ultimately rejoices, for she knows that his leaving is essentially good, though it may be difficult for a time. His leaving will bring about something better than what currently is.

So it was with Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and assertion to the Father. He would leave his disciples on earth for a time, but for good reason. He departed in order to prepare a place for those who belong to him – he has gone to prepare a place for us.

Clearly, Jesus was talking about heaven. He refers to heaven as “my Fathers house”. Heaven is the place where God dwells. It is true, there is a sense in which God is everywhere – he is omnipresent. But heaven is that place where his glory dwells. In the scriptures we are, from time to time, given a glimpse into heaven – that is,  of the third heaven – where God is worshipped day and night by the heavenly hosts and the saints who have passed from this world into glory. Jesus here refers to this place as “my Fathers house”.

I suppose it can also be said that Jesus ultimately has in mind the new heavens and the new earth that those who are in Christ will enjoy for all eternity at the consummation. This is ultimately what we should have in mind when we hear Jesus say, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Ultimately, the place that Christ will prepare for us is the new heavens and the new earth.

John describes this place for us at the end of the book of Revelation, saying,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:1–5, ESV)

This is the ultimate and final place that Christ is preparing for those who are his – that is, for his bride, the church.

Jesus tells us that “in his Fathers house their are many rooms.” Are we to think of heaven (as it is now), or the new heavens and new earth (as they will be at the consummation) as giant apartment complex, then? A mansion with many individual rooms in which the people of God will dwell? No. It seems to me that Christ is using figurative language here. The point is that Christ is going away to prepare a place for those who belong to him, and that in that place there is ample room for his people.

There is a reason why I began this sermon by rehearsing the creation account. When thinking of the new heavens and the new earth we ought to have in mind the original creation. In the end, the original creation will be restored. In the end, the people of God will possess that which the first Adam forfeited. We will possess what the first Adam forfeited by trusting in the second Adam, who is the Christ, who accomplished salvation for us. Just as God created the heavens and earth in the beginning (making a place suitable for the first Adam to dwell), so too Christ will usher in the new creation at the end of time (having prepared a place suitable for those united to him to dwell).

The difference between the first creation and the new creation is that in the new creation there will be no possibility for rebellion. We will enter into consummate rest – secure rest – everlasting rest. The first paradise could be lost. The second paradise cannot be lost, because it has been earned (paid in full!) by Jesus, who is the Christ, the second Adam. This is difference between Eden and the eternal state.

The similarity is this: in both the original creation and the new creation, the central and significant feature that God dwells in the midst of his people. The people of God will enjoy unbroken, unhindered, unmediated, fellowship with the God who made them. This is what makes paradise, paradise. 

When talking about heaven people are accustom to speaking of pearly gates, streets of gold, and mansions on hills. We speak often of no more sin, sickness, or death. And it is true that we long for these things. But we are amiss – terribly amiss – if, when thinking of the new heavens and the new earth, we fail to see “God with us” as the most treasured feature of all. He is what makes heaven, heaven. He is what makes paradise, paradise. He indeed is our life.

It was true of the first creation, and will be true of the last. We will walk with God in the cool of the evening.

When the prophet spoke of the glories to come this is very thing that they emphasized – God with us! Remember Ezekiel 37? The promise was this, “But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 37:23, ESV)

Again in verse 26,

“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:26–28, ESV)

These things have already been fulfilled in part at Christ’s first coming, but they will be fulfilled fully at his second coming.

And the book of Revelation paints the same picture for us, doesn’t it? The voice that John heard, said, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3, ESV)

This is what makes paradise, paradise – God with us. We will indeed enjoy unbroken, unhindered, unmediated, fellowship with the God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see that this is precisely what Jesus emphasizes in John 14? He says, “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.” (John 14:3, ESV)

Oh church, are you not comforted by these things? Are you not comforted by the fact that, though we may struggle here on earth in the time between Christ’s first and second coming, he has prepared a place for you?

What you and I deserve is to be cast from the presence of God into utter darkness – into the void if you will. But just as God made a place suitable for Adam, so too Christ as had made a place suitable for you and me through his obedient life, his sacrificial death, and his resurrection.

And he has promised to return for us! He would depart for a time. But this separation will not be final. He will return for his bride at the end of time so that where he is we may also be.