Helpless to Follow Jesus • John 14:7-14
Notes
Video teaching begins 21:39
Whenever you practice a skill, a sport, an instrument, you generally find you get better. The early days are rough, but if you stick to it and work hard, you find you get better at it. You develop proficiency and a depth of experience that sets you apart. I’m an expert. No brag, just fact.
It doesn’t work like that in Christianity. It’s the only thing I know of where the more you pursue it, the worse you get. More and more you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, you feel more inept than ever. You thought you knew things, but you find you don’t have that much understanding. More and more you realise you don’t bring very much to the table. You are not a real asset to the team.
And at the same time, your dependence on Jesus grows and grows. He really does increase, and you really do decrease.
What’s going on? The same as what Jesus’ disciples are experiencing on the last night of Jesus’ life. They are finding out that what they know is not enough. What they believe is not enough. They can’t follow Jesus in their own strength.
A good teacher first makes his students interested in what he’s got to give them. He exposes the students’ need. When they discover their lack, their inability, and how the teacher can meet that need, they become open to learn what the teacher has. When you humble your students then they can learn.
In these scriptures Jesus humbles His disciples. He humbles us, too, so we can learn a new way to live life, the only way to live life, with Him and in Him, by His Holy Spirit.
I’m reading in John 14 beginning with verse 7.
1. Jesus shows the disciples how little they know Him.
A. He tells them straight out — you have never known Me. But now you do, and you’ve even seen the Father.
1. This is very much like what He said in verse 4: and you know the way where I am going.
2. Thomas says, no, we don’t! We don’t even know where You are going! How can we know the way?
3. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
4. Okay. Well, we do know You, I guess. So — we’re okay. I guess. You guys okay? I’m okay with that.
B. But Jesus says if you had known Me, which means if, and you never have known Me.
1. Can you imagine? If any people could say they knew Jesus on earth it would be these twelve guys right here. For the last three and a half years they have lived with Him, ministered with Him, heard everything He has to teach multiple times, seen miracles, watched Him raise the dead and stop storms. They were the closest individuals to Him on the planet.
2. What it means is that human sight and experience is not enough to know Jesus.
C. But then Jesus emphasises their complete ignorance. But now you know Me and you know the Father and you’ve even seen Him.
D. And Philip steps right in it: Yeah! Show us the Father and that’ll solve everything.
E. And Jesus says, if you’ve seen Me, you’ve already seen the Father. How long have I been with you and you have not known Me, Philip?
1. The disciples expect to see the power and the glory and the eternity.
2. They’re looking at Jesus and they see a guy wearing normal clothing, about our size, He speaks in a normal voice. He doesn’t look like God.
3. I’m sure you can sympathise with the disciples right now. Jesus says you know Me, and then He says, no, you don’t! There is a basic lack of knowledge and understanding here, do you see it?
4. Not only do we not understand Jesus, we don’t see the Father, either. No man has seen God at any time. That’s what the Bible says. Yet, Jesus says, you have seen the Father. What?
2. Now, just to fill in the gap, what are we lookingat when we look at Jesus?
A. We are looking at the fullness of deity in bodily form. That’s Colossians 2:9.
B. Specifically, we are seeing humility. This is what makes God, God. He thinks on others. He is able to not dwell on Himself, not think about Himself, but focus on others.
C. In all eternity the Father has focused on the Son and loved Him. The Son has focused on the Father and loved Him. The Holy Spirit has focused on the Father and the Son and loved them. No one thinks on Himself, but only on the others.
D. Out of humility comes creation.
1. God did not create the universe because He was lonely, He’s bored, there’s nothing in eternity to do. There is no lack in God.
2. God created out of the fullness of His thinking about others, to create others and bring them into the relationship He has always had within Himself. So that others would know and experience His blessedness, His goodness, His love.
E. Out of pride comes sin and death.
1. The highest angel decides to think about himself and be discontent with the place God had given him. He wants to be greater because he believes he is greater than he really is. God: wrong, and he is right.
2. So this highest angel comes to the new man and woman and gets them to think in the same way as himself: think about yourselves, do not be content with the place God has given you, believe that you are greater than you really are. God is wrong and we are right.
3. So the man and the woman begin to think about themselves. They become proud and they take from God what does not belong to them. And through that they die. They lose that relationship with God that is life.
F. Out of humility comes salvation.
1. God could say, they’re all stupid and vicious. I don’t need this aggravation. Let’s wipe them out. That’s easy. You or I could think that solution up.
2. But God has a greater purpose in mind: to reveal Himself for who He is. Explain to every being who God is, what it means to be God.
3. And so even though He is God, He is the Most High, the Almighty, He humbles Himself in order to save beings that are unspeakably beneath Him. The Son obeys the Father and is born as a human baby, much lower than all the angels. Through humility the Son offers Himself as a sinless substitution for all humanity. He takes all their sin upon Himself. The Father punishes all that pride, arrogance, wickedness, rebellion, stubbornness, on His Son, who has never done anything wrong.
5. And the Father has raised the Son up and given Him glory and that name which is above all names.
G. When you see Jesus you see who God really is: humble. He doesn’t think about the cost to Himself which goes beyond value, and the suffering He will endure. He will give His own life to save others. God is powerful. He’s everywhere at once. He knows everything. He is eternal. The power and the glory is not important as the humility
H. Because everything good comes out of humility. Everything wicked comes out of pride. There is no third way to think. Either you think about yourself like the devil, or you think about others, like God. And because of sin, by default, we think about ourselves.
I. Would you like to know where all this is heading? Why we are going so far off as to talk about humility? It’s because Jesus does not want us thinking about ourselves. He’s going to humble us so we become like Him. First step is to show us our inability, our lack of knowledge, lack of ability, lack of understanding.
3. But see, Philip and the other disciples don’t get it because they don’t really believe Jesus yet.
A. Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? At least believe the works. This is what Jesus told the unbelieving Jews over and over.
B. The Father is the One speaking to you right now, through Me!
C. If you were one of the disciples you would be thinking, “I do believe. I mean, that’s why I’m here. But I guess I don’t get what’s going on just yet. My faith needs some help, I guess.”
4. Jesus goes on: the one who believes in Me will do the works I do, and greater works than these he shall do! What?
A. What would you think if you were one of the disciples and you heard that? Oh boy? Or, oh no? You mean I have to be like You?
1. Do I have to stop storms, heal the sick, raise the dead? The disciples did some of those things, but then, they didn’t heal the man’s young son, they couldn’t cast out the demon. They weren’t doing things like Jesus: whole multitudes being healed, every single one of them.
2. What’s greater than these things? Stop the planets in their orbits?
3. What does He expect out of me?
B. There is a clue here that Jesus gives: “because I go to the Father.” I think He follows that up later on in the evening, around chapter 16:7. But Jesus doesn’t clarify that now. What does He mean? Do you feel like you don’t get what is going on?
5. Then Jesus mentions prayer.
A. It seems that these greater works will come as an answer to prayer.
B. The real issue is: why do you pray? What do you pray for? And what do you pray for so that the Father will be glorified in Jesus? “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” I’ve prayed in Jesus’ name, and it is not a guarantee that my prayer will be answered the way I think it ought to be answered.
C. Prayer is a daunting thing that requires more than I have to give. Do you feel a lack when you think of prayer? Helplessness? Bewilderment? Do you feel weakness?
6. Look at these areas of our lives: knowing the Father as we know Jesus, believing in Him, doing the works of Jesus, praying so that the Father is glorified. What they all have in common is our lack and our helplessness to do these things.
7. Jesus is going to begin meeting that lack next week, but I can’t leave you hanging. So I will mention briefly where Jesus is leading us. All the needs and lack of power and knowledge and understanding and believing are filled through our relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
A. Knowing the Father is enabled through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14. The point being, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we will know God.
B. We are enabled to believe in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
C. The Holy Spirit enables us to do Jesus’ works and greater than His works.
1. Jesus ministered in a very small area of the Middle East. The duration of His ministry was three and a half years. He didn’t leave any writings. He spoke Greek and Aramaic. Comparatively few people believed in Him.
2. He did do miracles. Those miracles are still being done today in certain areas of the world, at various times and various ways, through the Holy Spirit.
3. There is a greater miracle that has been done for the last nearly two thousand years, and that is, the church has loved one another, and the world at large. To a greater or lesser degree, this is true. This has been the proof that those believers are Jesus’ disciples, and it has resulted in greater works than Jesus.
4. Through the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ disciples He is present all over the earth, in countries, businesses, hospitals, governments, schools, neighbourhoods.
5. Through the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ disciples, Jesus speaks to people in their native language. 698 languages have the complete Bible. The New Testament is available in 1,548 additional languages. Bible portions and stories have been translated into an additional 1,138 languages. Jesus can speak in 3,384 languages. By comparison the Quran is available in 72 different languages but one is advised that the only way to really appreciate it is to read it in the original Arabic. Translations don’t do justice to the text.
6. And then, praying. Romans 8:26-27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
8. What shall we say, then?
A. Jesus is emphasising: You cannot follow Jesus as you are, with ordinary human ability, knowledge, strength, understanding. You will only find yourself failing, lacking, helpless, not understanding.
B. If you feel like this is all over your head, you don’t know what you’re doing, too much is required, you’re actually on the right track. You should feel that way. Jesus is doing to you what He was doing to His disciples: He is humbling you, showing you your true state. Whatever kind of person you are, you are insufficient. You are not as good as you thought you were. You’re not as insightful, not as capable, you don’t bring anything to the table. You are insufficient and helpless.
C. Because when you realise that then you can turn to Jesus and say, “Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Please live in me. Please make me to know You, believe You, do what You do, pray like You pray.”
D. Then you abide in Him and He in you.
E. This is where it starts. In our inability we turn to Him and pray, help. He said, Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
Let’s pray.