John 14:4, "And
whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."
This morning, many
tout the name of Christ without admitting and freely confessing His power and
authority. While they pay lip service to the person of Christ, their belief
system and structure patently denies the power of God, sacrifice of Jesus
Christ, etc. by removing the glory and power of it. They do this by stripping
the glory of grace by leaving the decision and power in the hand of the sinner.
Should any power for an "eternal decision" rest in the hand of any sinner, then
the whole system of salvation would result in a 800 miserable failure. Yet,
the fact that man has no power to affect this glorious salvation, there are
certain aspects of it that touch us quite deeply and profoundly while we live
here in this world. This "experiential religion" is an internal testimony to
the rich grace and ultimate power of Almighty God.
Oftentimes, in my
haste of reading and studying Scriptures, I miss - over and over - some
principle or verse application with each and every pass through the lesson.
Sometimes, the verses surrounding a verse are so rich that one verse in a
passage seems more neglected than others. Our study verse is one such verse for
me. Even though it is rich in thought, I generally went through this portion of
John in one of two ways: 1. I was so taken with the thoughts in verse 3 (second
coming of Christ), that I never made it to verse 4, or 2. I was in such a hurry
to get to verse 6 with the wonderful truths there that I glossed over verse 4.
To see the beauty of verse 4, let us briefly consider some of the background to
this verse.
Chapter 13 ends with
Christ's perfect prophesy of Peter's thrice denial of Him before the night was
over. Such a proclamation by the Master would be enough to sorrow the boldest
of hearts. However, Christ - in His deep compassion for us - follows up that
foreboding prophecy with the immediate command to not be troubled in heart.
Even though we have failures in life, just as the Saviour foretold for Peter in
his life, He commands us not to wallow in the misery but rather look up and
revive in spirit. How does one revive in spirit, especially in the face of
being faced with one's own shortcomings? Christ lists 4 reasons not to be
troubled in heart, and these 4 things do not change. Ever. Regardless of our
sin-ridden lives, these 4 principles stand fast and sure forever.
The first principle
is found in verse 1. Christ commands them to believe in Him just as they
believe in God. The first and foremost reason to not be troubled is that Jesus
is God and has all the power and authority of God. His life is not just some
good moral lesson, but rather it is a rich and beautiful display of grace that
culminates in the salvation of His people. However, Jesus being God is not the
only unchanging reason to not be troubled. He declares that His Father's house
has many mansions, and He Himself is going to prepare a place for us. So, there
is an inheritance that is glorious, permanent, and eternal that is securely
fixed and cemented in the work of Jesus Christ. The third unchanging reason to
not be troubled is that He is coming again to receive us to Himself: we will be
where He is!
These three
unchanging facts should be enough for us to remember and realize that everything
is going to be all right. No matter how wicked the world gets and no matter how
wayward we get in thought or deed, these truths - glorious truths - will never
be undone or shaken. Yet, Jesus Christ - the Son of God and finisher of the
glorious work of salvation - gives one more reason not to be troubled. Just as
the other three tenets are secure and sure for every child of grace, so is this
one as well. Even though Thomas shows in the succeeding verse that he lacks the
intellectual knowledge as to what Christ is talking about, that does not change
the fact that Christ's words were true and Thomas (as well as every other heir
of grace) knows what Christ here says we know.
The two things we
know are 1. where He is going, and 2. the way He is going. Now this unqualified
statement by the Lord seems somewhat bold (to the cursory examination) to
declare that His family knows where He is going and the way He is going.
Certainly some heirs of grace never know His name or have ever heard a glorious
gospel message. Even moreso, they have no Bible to read these glorious
statements. So, how can all of God's children have this rich principle apply to
them without exception?
The answer is found
in the subject of "experiential religion." What we mean by that statement is
that Scripture teaches about the internal testimony of God's children. Paul
referenced this testimony at the opening of Romans 9. His conscience bore
witness to the same thing the Holy Ghost also testified, corroborated yet still
by the truth of Christ. Friends, many today like to talk about their own
"personal spirituality" that they believe supersedes organized religion and
church worship. However, sound internal testimony never contradicts Scripture,
and Paul's internal testimony (in his conscience) harmonized nicely with
Scriptures as well as the leading and impression of the Holy Ghost. Gentiles in
Romans 2:14-15 that had no gospel knowledge or knowledge of the law and the
prophets were said to become a law unto themselves when they did the things
contained in the law. How did they do that? Internal testimony in their
conscience showed the difference between right and wrong, and accused or excused
them accordingly.
Furthermore, Paul
declares in rich detail in Romans 8:18-24 that the new creature in every born
again child of God yearns and longs for heaven. Even though we have never seen
it, our hearts, souls, etc. long for that place called heaven and home. Even if
someone is unchurched but still born again of the Spirit, they long inside for
home. Maybe without words to frame it or a name to call Him whom they have
never seen but still they love (I Peter 1:8), they long for Him and the place
where He dwells. This internal testimony and longing for home is precisely the
point that Christ is making in our study verse.
Yet another reason to
not be troubled is because something inside us tells us, "This world is not your
home." Something reaches for a place beyond compare. As an interesting aside,
while I was thinking about this concept recently, it occurred to me that this
verse is a rich defense of the free grace of God by His sovereign and mighty
hand. Should it be true that people could help others "get saved" to heaven and
immortal glory, then it should equally stand to reason that those same "helpers"
would be able to direct people to heaven. If a preacher could save someone's
soul, then it stands to reason, logically, that that same man could say, "These
are your directions to heaven when you die." Yet, no preacher (of any flavor)
that I have ever heard of claimed such an impossible ability. No preachers sit
in hospital rooms whispering to dying people, "When you die, hang a left at the
second star in the sky."
However, the same One
that has saved us has imprinted the knowledge of Him, where He has gone, and the
way He has gone upon us and in us. He says we know where He is going (heaven),
and we know the way (path or direction) He takes. Paul tells us in Hebrews
6:16-20 that this knowledge is our hope. It anchors our soul in heaven, and the
forerunner is already gone before us. The path is well-trodden by His glorious
and triumphant steps. No need to ask for directions to heaven, nor to ask where
we are going. Our inner man bears the image of Christ (Colossians 1:27), and it
knows where to go at the moment of death's release. The sweet path of Christ
(the Way) will be richly illuminated as His voice (Life) speaks those sweet
words (Truth) and ushers us into the heavenly portals.
Christ gives this as
the fourth and profoundly intimate reason not to be troubled in heart while
traversing this low ground of sin and sorrow. Yes, He is God. That never
changes. Heaven is real, permanent, and prepared for us. That never changes.
He is coming again to take us home with Him. That will not change. Yet, for
our personal, intimate comfort here daily, we have knowledge (intimately) of a
rich nature. Our souls have been stamped with the testimony that we are headed
out of this world. Our spirit has been subjected in hope that we are going
away. This longing and yearning is a daily proof that we are His, and such
proof (especially when coupled with gospel knowledge for us who are so blessed
to have it), should make us the most uplifted people in this world. Just as
those other principles will never change, so also will the imprint of God's hand
on our soul never change. What He has done will forever be upon us, and that
longing of the creature will never cease. May we continue this day and for
whatever days we have left uplifted and rejoicing. Yes, we will fail, deny Him,
and let Him down, but nothing changes these glorious truths of who He is and
what He has done.
In Hope,
Bro Philip
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