John 14 v1/6
Jesus was speaking to His
disciples shortly before going to the Cross, teaching and giving guidance, and
that same teaching is passed down for the benefit of all Christians throughout
the ages.
Jesus is here telling His Apostles He was
going to leave them for He was going on a journey He had to take alone. The Apostles were devastated at the thought. So Jesus tried to comfort them and tells
them. ‘do not let your hearts be
troubled’. The heart is the seat of
all our emotions and when that is upset it affects thoughts and actions and
causes personal disturbance. Jesus
wanted to reassure them He was not forsaking them. He told them they were to believe in Him as
well as God. He was putting Himself
alongside God and wanted them to trust Him
He said there were many rooms in His Father’s
house, meaning there was room for all in heaven, and He was going to prepare a
place for them. This meant there was the
prospect of living for ever with Him in heaven being given to the Apostles, and
by extension to those who are prepared to give their life to Jesus, who have
accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. through faith, and who one day will see Him
face to face.
This passage is widely quoted
in funeral services, when people assume that everyone is automatically going to
heaven. I have taken hundreds of
funerals over the years, and there has never been doubt in anyone’s mind that
the deceased is going to heaven irrespective of the life led. Nowhere in the Bible is this view upheld.
There is a grossly mistaken
notion, that as long as one is honest and a nice person, one is assured of
heaven. That is not what the Bible
teaches. Many people who are atheists
are honest and nice people. There has to
be a commitment to Jesus.
Jesus was very clear in His
teaching that it certainly was not so. In parable after parable, He spoke of
two roads, of sheep and goats, of tares and wheat, of heaven and hell. The
Church has not always given sound teaching on this, and some misguidedly preach
that Jesus was giving a blank promise for everyone, when He is clearly
addressing His followers, and if we do not follow Him, our end will not be in
the rooms of His Father’s house. The sad
thing is that Church funeral liturgy perpetuates such belief, and is so
therefore totally misguiding,
If we say to someone who has
no Church commitment, has only a tenuous belief in Jesus Christ, never reads a
Bible or prays, that they are going to heaven, then we are leading them astray.
It is like telling a blind
person standing on the footwalk of a major road, it is safe for him to cross
when ready. Others say, if you just
follow your conscience you’ll be fine, but consciences become dulled and
hardened. Taking the lead from
politicians, people can look you in the eye and lie without any qualm of
conscience.
In this passage before us, He is talking to
His followers, people who have made a personal commitment to accept Him as
Saviour. This is why it is so important for
each person to make his/her own decision, whether to follow Jesus in His
teaching, commands and demands He makes on us.
The
Bible is all about commitment. We are reminded that less than 2% of
people think God worthy of one hour per week to visit a Church. Yet if you were to ask people their religion,
the vast majority would reply C of E and seriously consider they were
Christians. They would be mortally
offended, if you suggested otherwise. Very
few people seem bothered to think of Jesus, even less to do anything about it.
When Jesus said they knew the place where He
was going, Thomas asked Him how they could know when they didn’t know the
way. This brought forth from Jesus that
profound immortal statement, ‘I am the
way, the truth and the life, no one can come to he Father except through me.’
Jesus spent His entire
ministry telling that we are separated from God through sin, and only He could
obtain forgiveness for us, so we have to make a choice whether to follow Him or
face the consequences. Jesus is quite
unequivocal. This is not generally liked
as it is seen as being too restrictive, too bigoted and intolerant, and to be
judgmental is not liked.
What exactly does Jesus mean
when he says, ‘we can only come to the Father through Him alone’. Often we go on a journey to a strange place,
and without any idea how to get there. We have two alternatives, either to let
a satellite navigation guide us, or hope to find someone where we are going to
take us, or we would never get to where we hope to go; this is what Jesus does
for us.
I once had to go to another
city from my own before aids were devised, and on arrival had no idea where the
address was situated. I stopped and asked a man if he could guide me to where I
was aiming for, and he replied, ‘no, but I am going there I could show you. He
got in my car, took me to the place
I was looking for . This is what Jesus was saying. He says you can’t get to heaven on your own,
but I will direct you, guide you, and take you myself. He is saying there is no other way. This is an exclusive offer. The common belief
these days is that all religions lead to God, which Christians cannot
accept. No other faith had a man who
died on a Cross to grant universal forgiveness, no other faith had a man who
rose from the dead. Our faith is not something
someone has made up, it is God given.
Jesus said He was the
truth. If a person is to teach moral
truth that person must have an impeccable reputation and have no hidden
misdoings. Only Jesus can claim moral
perfection, which is why He can say ‘I am the truth’.
Jesus said ‘I am the life’,
meaning the opposite of death. He is the
source of life and gives life to His own.
Just as death mean separation from God, so life means being in communion
with Jesus.
He claims exclusive way to God,
and since we are totally dependent upon Him for the understanding of truth and
for eternal life, it naturally follows that no one can come to the Father other
than by and through Him.
I cannot understand how we can share in
multi-faith worship and maintain Biblical integrity. Whilst I believe we should respect other
faiths and try to live amicably with them; but in view of the unique teaching
of our Lord (here set out in verse 6 that He alone is the way to God) we cannot
justify sharing in multi faith services when our beliefs are so different, and
it is matter of recognising the unique authority of Jesus. Jesus warns us that there must be a clear
acceptance of His teaching and total obedience to it.
.
What must be our principal
concern, is that there were in the early Church preachers who were preaching
false doctrine and advocating a gospel which fitted within their personal
desires. They taught that the grace of
God would forgive any sin; just act as you wish God will forgive you. This was
rejection of God’s word.
This is why it is so relevant for us
today, for we have to face an identical situation. There are godless men, (and women) who change
the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny the clear teaching
of Jesus Christ.
One of the biggest problems
the Church faces is apathy, it is so easy in the times we live in to opt out,
saying, ‘there is no point in fighting them’, it is the way of the world. Can you imagine what would have happened if
Winston Churchill had have said in 1940, ‘we must give in, the Germans are too
strong.
The silence of the Church is an affront to
God; it is expected to be the voice for the nation in moral matters. Every so often someone pops up calling for a
back to basics campaign, but no one knows what the basics are.
I find it hard to understand
the ethics of holding meetings for LGBT people on Methodist premises, whilst at
the same time prohibiting alcohol to be kept on the premises, as a gift for a
prize at Church fairs. I have no personal interest as I am neither gay nor a
drinker.
Jesus saw the world as a decaying and dark
place and needing a curative effect.
Jesus said the world is in darkness, and needs Christians to shine in
the darkness. The world in its creative
state is a wonderful world, but in reality is also a place of evil and
suffering.
In God’s plan the people who
have been touched by the gospel, have a role in influencing the world, to be as
salt and light. Salt to be a cleansing
influence; and light, to shine in dark surroundings, in which we live and work;
we are the moral disinfectant.. We must
stand firm by the Cross. If salt is
mixed with impurities it loses its effect and becomes rotten like matter around
it. Jesus is the light of the world, and
we should reflect that light in our lives. We have to stand up for Biblical
ideals.
Let us remember there are
Christians being persecuted in non Christian lands with violence, arson, and
yes even murder. Hundreds have been
killed in the last few months in
Rather than contend for the
gospel, we can deny our Lord by denying we are Christians to avoid being
mocked, or to avoid embarrassment. How many are prepared even admit they attend
Church.
The country is in spiritual
death throes and in need of intensive care.
This is why we must contend for the faith. How God must weep when He sees the Church
singing His praise, pretending to be holy, whilst countenancing and failing to
speak out on moral issues and totally ignoring His written Word.
We need to be contending for the faith,
especially to any non believers in our families, and challenging those who
mock. .
You and I are
called to contend for the truth. Do not
let anyone tell you that you do not count.
You count tremendously, so glory in what God has called you to do and be
faithful to His command. Our Lord’s
last great commission was to go into all the world and make disciples of all
nations; let us not fail Him.
Let this be the faith we adopt
and believe and not that now being re-interpreted to suit modern culture.
May God bless His Word to us
and enable us to give our service to Him.
