A Gospel for the Troubled Hearts Part IV (John 14:7-21)

Jesus has just said that He is going away and he says, “You have known me and you have known the Father also. I have come to this world and I have introduced not only myself but I have introduced the Father, the Lord God of Glory.” But Philip can’t grasp that yet. He said, “Show Him to us and that will satisfy us. Let us see God.”
I’ve mentioned before that all four of the questions of these four men have to do with something they want to see with their natural eyes. They want to comprehend with human understanding things that can only be comprehended by faith. They want to be able to put their hands upon something that they can feel and touch and understand it through their senses. Philip wants to see the Almighty God. He wants to see the Father.

He wants a God that he can see – a God that everybody can see. That’s why there is such a prevalence of idolatry in the world. People somehow have to have a point of contact and identification point with a being that they worship. They want a God they can touch and feel and they can see.

But the Word of God teaches us about the high and holy God that men cannot see. As a matter of fact if they even look upon Him they will be blinded with His glory and His grace and His power. The Bible says that no man has seen God at any time. But Jesus then began to explain to the troubled heart and mind of this man that, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

Somehow Philip is still troubled. Because you see, Jesus has claimed to be the way and yet His path is pointing toward the cross. He has claimed to be the truth and yet there is not a religious leader in the whole community who would embrace His cause. He has claimed to be the life and yet a feeling of foreboding hangs over that little shut-in congregation and Jesus would be dead in twenty four hours. Confusion and trouble still reign.
Then Jesus in order to answer Philip’s question begins to talk about His relationship to the Father. It’s a beautiful teaching. He tells him that there are five specific ways to understand God. There are five particular ways that you can see God and that you can have your heart opened to understand Him – to understand our relationship with Him and to Him so that your doubts and troubles can be cast aside and your faith can be firm and strong. Let’s look at those five steps briefly.

In the second place He said, “Believe my words.” It’s enough for some people just to go to the words of the Lord – just to go to the word of God and there from the Holy Bible – from the word – they can get a glimpse and a picture and a vision of God that will satisfy them. It’s enough for a lot of people just to read the word and then have faith and act on the word and respond to the word of God.
Oh, believe the words of Jesus. I wish that somehow we could learn the simple kind of faith that that nobleman had. Because when Jesus said, “Your son is going to be all right,” that man without question turned on his heels and walked on the words of Jesus – walked with faith, walked with understanding, walked in full confidence. He spent the night and got rest and then made his way toward home the next day – never doubting, never fearing, taking his time, not all shook up, not tense, not under pressure.
Oh, you hear me today! I want to tell you regardless of the problem, even if it’s death – regardless of the problem that faces your life, if it’s sorrow or trouble or there is strain and stress and pressure and worry, believe the words of Jesus. Stand on His holy words and you can walk in faith and you can walk in His power and His strength because He backs up His words. With His commands and with His words come also the authority and the power to bring about anything He commands.

In the next place He said, “The works that I do, it is the Father working through me and you ought to believe on Him because of the works.” Oh, thank God. This is a sermon in itself, to talk about the mighty works of God – the works that are seen in natural processes, the works that are seen throughout the universe and all the mighty works of God in creation, all the mighty works of God in history, all the mighty works of God in redemption. Oh, it would take hours to try to list the high and great and wondrous works that He has performed through the ages.
Jesus said, “Believe the works that I do.” I want to tell you, a lot of people these days are wondering about God and if He really exists. I remember reading the Philosophers and I have read the Theologians, and I have tried to memorize all kinds of arguments for the existence of God. I have grown weary with that kind of exercise. I just advise you, don’t worry about that because the works of Jesus Christ today in the hearts of people is living proof of the existence of God’s power and His wonderful miraculous grace. Hallelujah!
When I see a man who was a liar or a thief or a drunkard suddenly overnight transformed by the power of God, I say believe in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will know that God is on the throne and has power to save and redeem and transform.
I know there are some doubters and some critics who every now will point at somebody who has fallen or backslidden, Go ahead; look at them if you want to. Keep your eyes you want to. But for every man you can point to that and then or who is a hypocrite. on people like that if t has gone astray and fallen by the wayside and had a lapse of faith, I can point you to hundreds who have walked with Jesus through the fire – stood in faith, been obedient to God, lived the life, and overcome because of the grace of God in their lives. Hallelujah! Praise His name. I’m saying to you today, what Jesus Christ does in the life of an individual is the greatest proof of the existence of God you can ever know.

In the fourth place Jesus said, “Learn the power of prayer.” If you will develop prayer, He says,” if you’ll really mean what it means to pray, you will come to the place that your doubts are gone. You will see God in His glory. You’ll learn how to approach His throne in faith and you’ll come to the place that anything you ask the Father in my name, I’ll do it.”
If the church ever learns to pray like Jesus, I want to tell you there will be a demonstration of the glory of the Almighty such as this world has never witnessed. I want to tell you if you’re struggling with doubts and fears today, I want to tell you one good answer. Prayer is a greater argument for the existence of power and grace and love of God than all the arguments you can stack up and list in a book. Hallelujah!
Oh, the marvelous, glorious experience of Holy Communion with the infinite God Almighty who fills the universe and touches our lives! Oh, what glorious wonderful opportunity to come with boldness to the throne of grace! Even though we’re belabored and touched with infirmities, yet Jesus was just like us. Because of that He said you can have boldness to come to Him. You can have boldness and you can find grace to help in the time of need.
I tell you if there is no God, there are millions of stupid people all over the world who are praying to Him. But oh thank God, when you know you have touched Him and He has answered and things happened that couldn’t possibly have happened – oh, you faced the impossible, you faced the dark valley and there was no way out and you fell before Him imploring His divine will and intervention. He worked it out. He carved out of your life the kind of person He wanted you to be through that praying and through that process and you came to know Him intimately and you came to look at Him instead of shrinking back in fearfulness as if the hand of judgment would strike you dead. You were able to throw yourself prostrate at His feet with your arms reached out to Him, embraced Him and His love and called Him Father.
Oh, Father! Oh, Father! I don’t know what that word conjures up in your mind, but I’ve got a wonderful old dad. It still thrills me just to throw my arms around him. I still respect him and love him. There were times when he taught me things with a chastening rod. He taught me the value of a good day’s work. He made me rich because he helped me to understand the value of one good day’s work. With the rod of correction he proved to me that he cared about my life and my soul and what happened to me. I understand that part.
I understand the times when he went out of his way when my sister and I lay dying with typhoid fever. He watched and my mother watched and they prayed. I understand all the times he labored for what I could have. Father means something to me. Then I think that because of Jesus we can come to the very throne and we have the spirit of God that causes us to cry “Abba, Father.” That means even more to me!

Jesus said, “If you learn the power of prayer you learn about God. You want to see God? Believe in my word and believe in my works; and one more thing – receive the comforter.” He said, “I’m going to send you another comforter.”
That word “another” is a translation of a Greek word, which means, “another of the same sort that I am, another of the same kind.” “I’ve been with you, I’ve stood by your side. I’ve been your teacher. I’ve been your authority. I’ve been the presence out of which you operated with authority and power in prayer and in preaching and teaching in this world. You’ve been with me. You have seen me. You have felt me. But I am going to send you another of the same kind – another comforter.”
I wish I had time now to talk about that word “comforter.” It’s the translation of a beautiful Greek title that has roots that just spread through out the Bible. Part of that word “PARACLETES” reaches out and means comfort and consolation. There are themes of comfort and consolation running throughout scripture. Why in the book of II Corinthians alone, roots of that word are mentioned some twenty eight times – sometimes translated comfort, sometimes consolation, sometimes beseech.
What I’m saying to you is that the Holy Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is the fountainhead and source of all comfort and strength and grace and power. He says, “If you want your troubled heart healed, if you want your questions answered, if you want to know about God, receive the Holy Spirit and He will teach you and He will guide you and He will stand along side of you. He will be your counselor and your advocate. He will be your lawyer and plead your cause and plead your case. He will abide with you forever. He’s with you now and He’ll be within you.” Hallelujah, for the Holy Ghost. Would you raise your hand and just praise Him.