24 March 2024 // John 14:1-14
SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION: Read John 14
SERMON REVIEW:
Looking for the Way
John 14:1-14
Looking at the situation at hand:
A. Betrayal - vs.13.21
B. Departing - vs. 13.33
C. Falling away – vs. Matt 26:31
D. Denial – vs. 13.38
Looking at the choices:
A. “Let not” implies a choice. 14:1
B. “Believe in God; believe also in me.”
Looking for the Way:
The Uncertainty of the Disciples:
Thomas – vs. 5
Philip – vs. 8
The Assurances of Jesus:
A. Jesus said , you will be with him. vs. 2-3
B. Jesus said, you will go through him. vs. 4-7
C. Jesus said, you will do works for Him. vs. 8-14.
QUESTIONS:
LIFE APPLICATION:
Honk If You Love Jesus
Although I do not put bumper stickers on my own car, I like to read them. And I like to hear stories about some of the bumper stickers we have grown accustomed to seeing. For example, I heard about stalled traffic on the Santa Ana Freeway in southern California, a common occurrence. The freeway was in total gridlock and nothing moved. But one driver incessantly and obnoxiously leaned on his horn as if somehow the noise would clear the whole freeway.
Finally, the driver in front of him went back in anger, screaming at the noisy horn blower. Much to his chagrin, he received the response, “I wasn’t blowing my horn to get you to move; your bumper sticker says, ‘Honk if you love Jesus.’ ”
This passage reminds us that the presence of the Holy Spirit is not demonstrated by bombastic honking but by behavioral holiness. Let us remember that John now writes about the last week in Jesus’ earthly ministry in chapters 12–21 of this Gospel. No other Gospel writer goes into such great detail about Jesus’ final week of teaching to the disciples. The first fourteen verses of this chapter focus on the Father, and chapters 14–16 deal with the Holy Spirit.
This was new truth for these disciples. They had not previously heard about another Counselor, the paraclete who would stand by their side from the time of the ascension to the time of the Lord’s return.
Principles[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Way (14:6)
The common Greek word is hodos that appears 102 times in the New Testament. John used it to warn people that they should prepare for the way of the Lord (Matt. 3:3); the Pharisees told Jesus that he taught the way of God in accordance with the truth (Matt. 22:16); the Book of Hebrews talks about coming to God by a new and living way (Heb. 10:20); and Peter writes about the way of truth (2 Pet. 2:2). None of these passages, however, carry the drama of the word as it appears here in John 14.
In Acts, the Christian movement takes on the title “the Way.” Luke likes to use it in reference to the early Christians. According to Marshall, the term designates “the true way of worshipping and serving God, for the Christians believe that the God of their Jewish ancestors was being rightly worshipped by them. Their understanding of true religion was based on the Old Testament, which they regarded as laying down the essentials of Christian faith and practice. The church was claiming, in fact, that the Old Testament was a Christian book” (Marshall, pp. 377–78).
John 14:6, however, indicates that our concept of “the way,” along with our understanding of the gospel in general, dare not focus on a movement or a religious point of view. Our understanding of faith centers in a person, and that is exactly what Jesus says in this text.[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How important is our expectation of a place in heaven?
2. How should we understand verses 13 and 14 in the light of the way we pray today?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 272.
[2] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 274.
[3] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 277.
SERMON REVIEW:
Looking for the Way
John 14:1-14
Looking at the situation at hand:
A. Betrayal - vs.13.21
B. Departing - vs. 13.33
C. Falling away – vs. Matt 26:31
D. Denial – vs. 13.38
Looking at the choices:
A. “Let not” implies a choice. 14:1
B. “Believe in God; believe also in me.”
Looking for the Way:
The Uncertainty of the Disciples:
Thomas – vs. 5
Philip – vs. 8
The Assurances of Jesus:
A. Jesus said , you will be with him. vs. 2-3
B. Jesus said, you will go through him. vs. 4-7
C. Jesus said, you will do works for Him. vs. 8-14.
QUESTIONS:
- What did the message teach me about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?
- What did the message teach me about the human condition?
- Is there anything I need to confess, repent, or be grateful for, because of this passage?
- How do I need help in believing and applying this scripture to my life?
- How can I encourage others with this passage?
LIFE APPLICATION:
Honk If You Love Jesus
Although I do not put bumper stickers on my own car, I like to read them. And I like to hear stories about some of the bumper stickers we have grown accustomed to seeing. For example, I heard about stalled traffic on the Santa Ana Freeway in southern California, a common occurrence. The freeway was in total gridlock and nothing moved. But one driver incessantly and obnoxiously leaned on his horn as if somehow the noise would clear the whole freeway.
Finally, the driver in front of him went back in anger, screaming at the noisy horn blower. Much to his chagrin, he received the response, “I wasn’t blowing my horn to get you to move; your bumper sticker says, ‘Honk if you love Jesus.’ ”
This passage reminds us that the presence of the Holy Spirit is not demonstrated by bombastic honking but by behavioral holiness. Let us remember that John now writes about the last week in Jesus’ earthly ministry in chapters 12–21 of this Gospel. No other Gospel writer goes into such great detail about Jesus’ final week of teaching to the disciples. The first fourteen verses of this chapter focus on the Father, and chapters 14–16 deal with the Holy Spirit.
This was new truth for these disciples. They had not previously heard about another Counselor, the paraclete who would stand by their side from the time of the ascension to the time of the Lord’s return.
Principles[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Way (14:6)
The common Greek word is hodos that appears 102 times in the New Testament. John used it to warn people that they should prepare for the way of the Lord (Matt. 3:3); the Pharisees told Jesus that he taught the way of God in accordance with the truth (Matt. 22:16); the Book of Hebrews talks about coming to God by a new and living way (Heb. 10:20); and Peter writes about the way of truth (2 Pet. 2:2). None of these passages, however, carry the drama of the word as it appears here in John 14.
In Acts, the Christian movement takes on the title “the Way.” Luke likes to use it in reference to the early Christians. According to Marshall, the term designates “the true way of worshipping and serving God, for the Christians believe that the God of their Jewish ancestors was being rightly worshipped by them. Their understanding of true religion was based on the Old Testament, which they regarded as laying down the essentials of Christian faith and practice. The church was claiming, in fact, that the Old Testament was a Christian book” (Marshall, pp. 377–78).
John 14:6, however, indicates that our concept of “the way,” along with our understanding of the gospel in general, dare not focus on a movement or a religious point of view. Our understanding of faith centers in a person, and that is exactly what Jesus says in this text.[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How important is our expectation of a place in heaven?
2. How should we understand verses 13 and 14 in the light of the way we pray today?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 272.
[2] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 274.
[3] Kenneth O. Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 277.