Synoptics John 14:9-12

John 14 and the Perfect Revelation of the Father

John chapter 14. Are we gonna be okay up here? We don't need to separate your hand. Okay.

Right John chapter 14. I just realized having the Hebrew text open there is rather irrelevant And help us out a whole lot in John chapter 14 Jesus said to him have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know me Philip he who has seen Me has seen the father.

How can you say show us the father once again? We were we are in this last period of training of The disciples it is very shortly prior to the betrayal of of the Lord. We need to keep that in mind. Sometimes it is pointed out that there is a great difference between what?

John has here. We have in the synoptics, but John has Much more of an emphasis upon the personal interactions of Jesus and so here you have This discussion going on Philip has asked in light of the The son's thing he's going to be going back to the father Lord show us father is enough for us.

Jesus response as we point out last time emphasizes the fact that he is the Perfect revelation of the father, but as I've noted You know the apologist in me warns you that's a large portion of Evangelicals are very confused on the doctrine of the Trinity and as a result they look at a text like this and they assume that Wrongly that all the distinctions have been made between the father and the son in the previous portions of the gospel of John evaporate at this point and That you're going to eventually have the statement.

I and the father are one Interpreted from John chapter 10 or these statements of John chapter 14 as in some way undoing The distinctions that have been drawn from the beginning last time we were together.

I do recall going back into the earlier portions of John and Noting the many places where those distinctions are emphasized. So what we do have is the fulfillment of John 1 18 where Jesus is said to be the one who exegetes or makes known or reveals the father Jesus said to him have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know me Philip He has seen me has seen the father.

How can you say show us the father? So in other words? Philip is being abraded for not recognizing that everything he has come to know of the son and Of the son's revelation of the purpose and character of the father Is a perfect revelation and if if Thomas is looking for something better than this or greater than this Then he has not really come to know who Jesus really is.

Now again, I point out that it is Unusual in much of modern theology for this kind of view of Christ to prevail Solely due to the fact that you you have to believe that what we're reading here is really divine revelation.

Those who have a merely human view of Jesus and who assume based upon their worldview that any Supernatural element to Jesus's existence is a later embellishment or addition are obviously going to have to dismiss all of this Spiritualize it in some way.

And come up with some other explanation but if you actually share the worldview of the writer's scripture Then you really are taken aback Once again by the fact that this is a phrase like so many found on the lips of Jesus That could never have been uttered by a mere prophet By one who for example has any sense of his own sinfulness or depravity.

Because anyone who knows of their own sin and depravity Would recognize that their sinfulness their self-centeredness their depravity would Bar them from being a mirror image of the father no matter how Close they may be to God, you know, I mean you can call David a man after God's own heart.

But David does not say if you've seen me you've seen God. The reason being he well knows that once you have depravity and sin in the experience of a human being It's a warping of the of the lens. It's a warping of the mirror shall you shall we say that results in a warped reflection? Of God and that's why we in this life Can never be perfect?

Representatives or representations Of Christ living in us there will always be imperfections. There will always be things Jesus does not show any Idea of this instead. He says to Philip if you've seen me You have seen the father and then he asks.

Do you not believe in? Verse 10. Do you not believe that I'm in the father and the father is in me the words I say to you? I do not speak on my own initiative, but the father abiding in me does his works.

The Father and the Son in Mutual Indwelling

And so you have this very intimate Discussion of the relationship of the father and the son now again There are there are places and for example, John chapter 17, which is coming up very shortly. Not so much in our reading, but Jesus got to John 17 a whole lot faster than we will let's just put it that way Chronologically speaking but Where We are in the father and the son and we are in Christ.

And if we're in Christ or in the father and you've already had in John chapter 10 The sheep are in the hand of Christ. No one gets matched them out of Christ's hand. But then again, no one can also we're also in the father's hand.

No one gets matched out of the father's hand and I and the father are one and and things like that. So you you you will have places where our union with God is Emphasized and people say well see that just that just shows you Jesus just one of us but the reality is what makes those statements about our Being in Christ or in God special is the relationship of the father and the son the unique relationship of the father and the son and then our union to the son is what makes our Relationship special but if there was not that first relationship that prior relationship of father and the son Which is absolutely unique Which is eternal.

Ours is not an eternal union in that way. The unique son who has always been the son Who is in the who is at the father's side who makes the father known the reason we can have? Intimate relationship with God and we'll have that kind of intimate union without the hindrance of sin in the eternal state is because we have been united to the Messiah united to Christ United to the eternal Son and I would argue that the only way that that has been able to happen is because of the condescension of the son the incarnation death burial resurrection all of that is how we can have union with Christ why how we can be in him and Therefore can look forward to a relationship with God that I would argue Adam could never have had Adam could not have had that relationship apart from the initiative of the triune God the incarnation Redemption all of those all of those things.

This is you know, a lot of people like to say well couldn't God have done it some other way well, I I forget who it was who would who answered a question along those lines. Something about you know didn't God initially make hell just for Satan and the angels and Something said made some comment along the lines and for people who ask questions like you ask You know thrown in for the we can speculate about anything we can sit around and well Maybe you could have gone this way or maybe could have done it that way and I get worried about folks who spend most their time in speculate speculation about things like that they end up getting on really goofy websites on the internet and getting really really messed up, but Leaving mere speculation aside.

The point is that from the the biblical perspective there is a purpose and all that God has done and part of that purpose that is revealed to us is this amazing concept of our being united with Christ and So that and we say these phrases without always really thinking through what these phrases mean but we we say things like so that his death is our death and His resurrection is our resurrection.

Well, that's true those are true statements, but you have to think through what all of that means and So the idea that well, you know The cross was an afterthought or you know This is just the best God could do or God didn't expect this to happen.

That's the amazing thing with the good open theists, you know God was really taken aback when Adam did what he did and so he had to come up with this other plan type of an idea it's just utterly foreign to any meaningful or consistent reading of the text of Scripture that actually takes the the wording seriously and so It seems that there's almost You know when you when you when you see the phrase do you not believe.

You know if someone were if someone were to Approach me in that way, you know what you're automatically on the defensive. I mean you're automatically Sure. Yeah. Yeah, even if you don't really know What's being said you don't don't you believe that X Y Z?

Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me? Now this is not the first time Jesus has said something similar this again I and the father we are one John chapter 10 Before Abraham was I am it's not like we just get the John chapter 14 and these poor guys are going really Had no idea.

Now you have an explicit ness in these words that is New in that sense, but the reality is that what Jesus has done and said and how he has acted We have in other words. We have been reading the preceding material correctly in Understanding it to be pointing to these things John really provides us our own interpretive grid.

It's it's amazing to see the mental gymnastics of people who try to get around this stuff. But do you not believe that I am the father and father's in me and again people say well Yeah, but we're in Jesus and Jesus is not so it's not really special.

But it is this unique relationship that provides the ground for our being able to have the relationship we have With God the Father and that's what comes first. This is a natural relationship. Ours is a relationship that is only due to the extension of grace over time so there's a there's a vast difference we need to keep that in mind and again, I emphasize this and I appreciate all of your patience in my strong emphasis of these things, but I think you those of you who have gone into university settings and another context understand why I'm emphasizing these things because there is a tremendous amount of opposition and I just I am absolutely convinced that we must be prepared to give an answer and that The freedoms we have to do so in the future are going to be very restricted I think on a broad base level and it's become much more the responsibility of every single believer every single individual To know these things and to be able to explain them to others in private conversation because that may be the only way we've got To actually say these things in the not-too-distant future.

So I emphasize the objections and also objections very frequently shed more light on The reality of what the text is actually saying. So if you're one of those folks sit back and I'm never getting those types of conversations.

Remember that section in the Old Testament the trial of the false gods where it's it's God bringing Accusation against false teaching that gives us some of the brightest light of revelation on his own nature.

Keep keep that in mind. So anyway going back to the text there is a Reciprocal relationship I am in the father and the father is in me that we shouldn't think of this in mere Spatial concepts, it's sort of like That well-known section that Paul penned it to the Corinthians he said God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

And a lot of folks will look at that and say see there you go. God was in Jesus. There was sort of a he was in him, you know, so that means he walked left and walked right and you know says That's not really what Paul's saying.

In fact, I think the best Understanding of that particular use of the language is was by means of Christ reconciling The world. In the same way we say do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me.

This isn't mainly a spatial location geometry type thing. This is The same type of very personal Intimate language that is used over and over again the Ephesians chapter 1 the first 13 verses 10 times in Christ in him in the beloved one this this concept of a of a union that is supernatural and in fact transcends any kind of Geometric Plotting in saying well the the locus of the personal thought of the Son is in God the Father and no that that's that's That that's not the point.

The point if if the relationship between the two verses means anything is is a revelatory one that is the union of the Father and The Son is so close and so intimate that to have intimate knowledge of the Son of Necessity results you truly know the father once again.

I just point out the application to those who would Deny the exclusive nature of the claims of Christ. There have been many who have claimed to know much about God. There have been many who have claimed to be a special representative of God.

But Jesus claims are really transcend anything that you could find anywhere else primarily because we're talking about a a person here who is a monotheist Who every morning says Shema Yisrael Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh Akkad says the the Shema every morning there is only one God and yet at the same time Confessing Everything the Bible teaches about the fact that God is transcendent and God's a creator and he's not man.

Yet he as a man says I am the father and the father is in me and if you've seen me you've seen the father. And so there's something about this revelation that has taken place in the incarnation that has to be able to explain all these things and Within polytheistic systems that just completely changes the ground but we're talking about a Monotheistic system here.

This is why again the church is forced over those first number of centuries to struggle with how to express Not so much the language of the New Testament but the divine revelation that took place between the Old and New Testament, which is the incarnation of Christ and the Death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

That's really what those first two centuries are about. It's not that the church is making up doctrine or making up teaching or something along those lines. It is we have been bequeathed this body of revelation this this redemptive event in time and now as the gospel goes out of all the world, there's lots of questions are being asked and we have to find a consistent way to try to answer those questions and That really is what you have going on at at that particular time.

So there is a a union remember John chapter 5. Again the the union of the father and the son together distinct but the unions there and Then echoing John chapter 5 the words that I say to you I'd not speak on my own initiative, but the father abiding in me does his words the your words are are The expression of your person.

They they are they are very personal. Much more so I mean, I'm afraid today, especially the younger generation Words. Names, for example don't mean anything anymore. Names used to have a lot of meaning to them but anymore.

They're just Whatever happens to be popular in your your generation or whatever happens to be unpopular in your generation. Maybe you want to Stick your kid with a name that no one else has ever even heard of.

I have we have a little. We never expected this but you know when kids are born they end up with names you never expected well one day summer referred to Clementine by this name that I'm like What was that and you know at Starbucks they write on the cup your name and.

And so one day she had had a lady come through I think the drive-thru if I recall correctly or maybe since I don't remember what it was, but. And the woman's name was Bon Quiqui Bon QI Qui qui and for some reason a summer decided to call Clementine Bon Quiqui and.

So not only did it stick but everybody else in the family now Nani Kelly is non quickly and I'm grand quickly, so You know when we do FaceTime now, she's back in Georgia. You know it comes up and I hear summer saying to her there's grand quickly and hi bon quickly.

And it's just like oh my goodness. How in the world that happened. I have no idea what any of that means. Whatsoever, but it's just you know it's just how names are but it used to be you saw in in the text that brother Jim Read this morning.

You saw an example of this. I don't know how many of you noted it, but After the section that most of us know in Romans 9 is a section most of us don't know it. And it says that those who are not beloved shall be called beloved those who are not my people call my people.

That's on the Old Testament where God actually had someone call someone low on me not my people that's the name low on me not my people and Really in the Old Testament Very frequently especially when God says use this name Translate the name to find out what's actually being said otherwise you just have the name transliterated.

It's like Don't get it and sort of skip over it. That's that's the way things way things were names meant something one's word one's pledge Meant something it was and it was much much more. You know we just This is how you talk to people now, you know I mean you'll see people in restaurants now.

This is very very frightening to me. But to see people in restaurants right now. And they're doing this number and they're sitting at a table and everybody at the table saying this no one's talking they're all sitting here doing this and the worst thing is when you hear and Then all sudden the person across the table their phone goes Bing.

They're talking like this. Look at the person speak use it and then you try to talk. Yeah, they just can't do it because they just don't you know that's that's not a way to know how to communicate. And it's it's just it's just cheap and stuff.

You know doesn't it. I mean in in a sense. I mean I use it it's very convenient at certain times, but It's it's not a good thing the point is the words that I say to you I just speak of my own initiative, so when when a Relationship is so close the words spoken Are not on my own initiative, but the father abiding in it, and then knows this does his works.

Not speaks the words. Does his works so the works of the father? Result in the the words of the son so so what the son speaks is Reflective. Perfectly and 100 of the will of the father who is doing his work.

He's accomplishing his will through the son that's about as close a Relationship as you can possibly have and so GS continues on in verse 11. It was interesting he had asked in in in verse 10. Specific is Philip.

Do you not believe now? He goes back to the whole group believe me to everybody believe me that I'm the father and the father is in me otherwise believe because the works themselves and. So there is a propositional statement.

I am the father and the father is in me. I Am the perfect revelation of the father? But at the same time The works that I've done Have already told you this I think I think this sort of shows what the basis of G is having said don't you believe this or haven't you seen this or is you've had all this time to be observing the consistency of my teaching and my actions and That consistency over time this is only a short period of time after Lazarus has been raised from the dead and and so many Miraculous events have taken place that the works that Jesus has done.

These are the father's works verse 10, but the father abiding in me does his works. Otherwise believe because of the works themselves. They are divine works and. And so I think we're right once again as we look at the gospel of John to when we see these signs that Jesus does going all the way back to John chapter 2 the first sign that he does the Wedding and Cain of Galilee the turning the water into wine.

These are meant to communicate something. They are the works of the father that communicate something that taken together become a basis of belief believe because the works themselves the works points to the fact that we should believe That Jesus is the Son of God and by believing The eternal life in his name, which is going to be the sort of summary statement of John 20 31.

That's what it's all sort of working toward anyways and so believe me Believe what I say that I am the father fathers me and then again, this is echoing back if you recall John chapter 5 Of the different ones who testified concerning Jesus the father testifies concerning is the works can testify Securing Jesus Moses testifies concerning Jesus, etc, etc.

This is the basis upon which we are to believe so truly truly I say to you that very Formulaic Assertion of I am taking an oath Amen, amen Lego who mean I am saying to all of you He who believes in me the works I do he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to the father now Immediately people stumble at this point because they assume That my Jenna means greater in a Sense of either more frequent Or a demonstration of more power and so many people will go well you know, even the even the most wild-eyed purveyor of miraculous activity Blushes a little bit at that point.

Because again, this is just shortly after things like Lazarus and I I've seen lots of folks on the channel between 20 and 22 won't mention it by name who you know have You know tremendous capacity In fact is amazing the most Common miracle that I see When my clicker battery dies and I happens to stick on that channel or something like that.

Which is about the only reason I go there though once in a blue moon I'll just sort of I don't know why I'm doing this but you know and then you see people on there that are really getting really really old and You remember what they look like when they weren't really really old and it's like whoa, okay?

And You do wonder how you get hair to be blue. It must be the lighting. I don't know how else that works, but anyways the single most commonly worked miracle for some odd reason by people from long distance You know by the guy doing this that the TV camera is the Lengthening of short legs.

I did not know there was a plague of Short-leggedness in the world, but evidently there is I'm not sure how there can be anybody left Given how many short-legged people have been healed? Remote remotely by these folks, but maybe that's the greater right now.

I don't think so. I don't think so Note the last part of the phrase because I go to the father. What does that have to do with anything? Because I'm going to the father well, this is John chapter 14 and What you're about to encounter is going to be in John 14 and 16 really the foundational Portion of Scripture in our understanding and knowledge of who the Holy Spirit is.

The coming of the Comforter the parakletos the paraclete. You'll notice that the context here is Speaking of the period after Jesus Ascension notice 13 and 14. Whatever you ask in my name that will I do so the father may be glorified in the Son if you ask me Anything in my name.

I will do it now if you've got the King James the New King James. Please note it does not say if you ask me if it says if you ask we'll talk about that if we get there today. Which I started out we will but When we get there eventually, I know I'm not here next week.

But we'll get to it at some point in time. That's it. That is a very important Textual variant that we will explain rather fully one of the reasons is Just just a just a teaser to get you to come back.

It that textual variant Was directly connected to the only time in almost 30 years of ministry now where I have ever been physically assaulted Knocked on my back because of John 14 14 so Now if I go zooming by John 14 14 a few weeks and completely forget about it.

Someone's got to stick their hand up and go. Remember you're gonna tell us about when you got attacked because of John 14 14, and then I'll remember and tell you about it, but it's a. It's a fun story.

Anyways The point is that if you ask is in the future so that we're talking about Jesus is now looking toward the future and He has talked about going to the father. This is not the first time I mean he started off talking about going to the father now.

He's returning to that and saying that this idea. That he who believes in me the works I do he will do also and greater works than these he will do. Because I go the father has to do whatever is being discussed.

Discussed here has to do with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now some people would want to say well this only has to do with the Apostles because we do see Young man that falls out of the window all goes down takes him up alive.

Peter is involved in Resurrection experiences. You have all sorts of things like that so some people would say well This is specifically fulfilled in the apostolic period. Well, maybe I'm not. I would not argue against that but.

And certainly the coming of the Spirit in the book of Acts there's also sorts of ramifications and things that are worked out over many chapters to explain how it is that Christ will continue to be present with his people yet now by means of the Holy Spirit because if you just if you just look down to verse 23 I think it's Rather interesting.

Jesus answered said to him if anyone loves me He will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our abode with him. Well how does the Father and the Son come to us and make their abode with us?

It's in the context of the coming of the Spirit, so that's the same context that you have here as well and so. This all has to do with the coming of the Holy Spirit, and if that's the case then it would seem to me That there would be a weakness in arguing that this is only relevant to the disciples themselves.

Because most of what we find in the rest of 14 and 15 and 16 We make application to all believers. Because we're talking about the presence of the Spirit in our lives so doesn't this mean that the works that Jesus did should be just common commonplace.

Well see notice we are Assuming that the works are only the signs that pointed to who Jesus was the signs that pointed to his Messiah ship well. That's not something that that is in dispute any longer in the age of the church.

We testify that the Messiah has come and what the Messiah has done not Not doing what Jesus was doing at that particular point in time so when when we look at it the works that I do He will do also. I think it's important that we Note what had happened just up above.

That we had had the father abiding in me does his works and. What had that what had that been the parallel to the words that I say to you? I do not speak on my own initiative, but the father abiding in me does his works.

If you keep that in mind, then you're going to have a broader interpretation. What it says that he who believes in me the works I do he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to the father.

What is it that the Spirit of God? What was the major change I put this way what was the major change if you look at the disciples pre spirit and Then look at the disciples post spirit post Pentecost.

You have you have Jesus saying Stay here until the promise the Spirit comes. You shall be clothed the power of man high. You know I've got all these promises you have the end of end of the Gospels and the fulfillment in in acts.

What's the main difference between these two time periods when we look at the apostles and disciples themselves. Well primarily it is the proclamation of a word with boldness. I mean they had done preaching.

During Jesus ministry they had been sent out two by two for a brief period of time things like that but the fundamental difference is the proclamation of a message That is not going to be popular by any stretch of the imagination.

A message that is going to be described by the Apostle Paul as the stench of death. Something that is offensive. Something that is foolish it's going to bring the hatred of the world and yet they do so with boldness and Unlike the situation in Jesus ministry Where Jesus preaches to 5 ,000 men not including women and children?

At the end of the sermon you've got 12 confused disciples. John chapter 6. What you have in the apostolic ministry is the proclamation of the message followed by Quite literally mass conversion. Thousands who do what is absolutely Unnatural in the natural realm and That is they obey the command take up your cross and follow me.

They repent and believe and so I would suggest to you that one of the things that has been lost in Much of evangelicalism is because we see this stuff on television, we've lost the sense of wonder and Partly maybe because we see so little of it Worldwide, but we have lost the sense of wonder at the proclamation of God's truth and how that proclamation Draws together such an incredibly disparate and different group of people in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ the proclamation of the gospel that results in a a Heart of stone being taken out and a heart of flesh being given.

We may not see that in the sense of some type of vision or something like that. But it is truly the work of God because what's God's work now? He's building the church. He's building the church and how does he do so through spirit indwelt?

Believers who proclaim that truth and while Jesus leaves this world with 11 disciples not including the women. Of course, there are more than that. It's not going to be long until it's being said that these people are turning the world upside down and What was what was the difference the coming of the Spirit coming to spirit it takes a Peter Who's hiding out in the upper room and turns him into?

Well the Peter that we know very quickly. He father or my father.

Let me. That's a translation translational difference. In verse 12, there is no variation that would have the word me. The the point is that it's hot ego proston pottera tan can be translated at least in coin a we can ask our Greek brother here, but definite articles very different in the Greek language than English by a long shot and evidently the You said the King James has my father.

Yeah, the. The definite article because it's there Can have can function as a possessive pronoun and they are interpreting it in that way. I would have to look and see if pot there is used. Well verse verse 13, it's hot pot there, so Having the the word used with the definite article isn't unusual in this section.

But that's an interpretive issue on the part of the translators. My nestle on 28th is not showing a variant there, but I'd have to it's possible. Yeah, okay. Let's close our time with a word of prayer.

Our Heavenly Father we do. Thank you once again for this opportunity this freedom that we have to consider your truth and to possess your word and to Have this time to ponder it. We would ask that we would not take this for granted that we would recognize it for what it Is a gift from your hand and as thankful individuals, we would live in light of it.

We would ask that you would be with us. We ask you every week this but we would ask that you would be with us as we go into worship Lord that you would focus our minds that you would lift up our hearts.

That you might be honored and glorified and all that takes place. We pray in Christ's name.