Drew Boswell

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Genesis 42 “There Comes a Reckoning; The Brothers First Journey to Egypt”

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

Sermon Series

Genesis 42

“There Comes a Reckoning; The Brothers First Journey to Egypt”

Introduction

Our growth as Christians does not take place primarily in comfortable situations. Many characters in the Bible find themselves in the wilderness right before God uses them to make a huge impact. God knows that we grow most through tough trials, serious testing and difficult circumstances. It is in these places we find out God is always with us and he is working in us off the grid. This study of the life of Joseph is a perfect series to empower you to face hard times and to grow.

Circumstances and Providence force Joseph’s brothers to face their past. Each leg of the journey makes them deal with decisions and moral failures of their lives. Their journey leads us to ask the question, “is it possible to get out from under the weight and shame of a moral failing from our past?” Does God want us to be miserable because of our sinful decisions? Does God punish us because of our past?

In order to understand what is going on in today’s passage, we have to understand Joseph’s family.

Isaac and Rebekah

Jacob and Esau (Laban)

Leah and Rachel (Gen. 29:31ff.)

 

Prayer

The Obvious Step (vv. 1-5)

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

The famine had reached a point in the life of Jacob’s family that they were close to being in a critical position, “for the famine was in the land of Canaan.” There was food to purchase in Egypt, and there were dwindling supplies of food in Canaan. But there were also, people who needed to have a relationship with God (the sons of Jacob), so the famine forced them to take a step they never would have otherwise.

Why do we so often struggle with the obvious answer to, “that we may live and not die” – the answer to continuing to live is to go the Egypt and buy grain, but the brothers stare at each other (or “why do you delay”), each waiting for the other to take some kind of action (or “what are you waiting for?”), all while the family begins to struggle. We have the answer to eternal life, and Jesus as the “bread of life,” yet we look around as if there may be some other answer. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” yet when hard times comes, we look around and stare, as if there is some other way to live this life.

But there may have been another reason of why the brothers react to Jacob’s suggestions, as “Why do you look at one another?” – It was to Egyptian slave traders that they had sold their brother (Joseph) many years before (Gen. 37ff.). They had intended to kill Joseph, but just as they were about to, slave traders came by, on their to Egypt. So every time Egypt came, up, or Joseph’s name came up, Reuben would look at Simeon, and Simeon would turn and look at Zebulen, and on and on as they would have been reminded of Joseph’s pleas “don’t sell me please, . . .”[1]

This is not God’s plan for mankind – that we live our lives in guilt and shame. The second thing God uses to get the brother’s attention, is their own conscience. They have to go to the place where their guilt resides. They have to face their sin. God loves these brothers enough to drive them to face their sin, and deal with their shame and guilt.

We are not sure why all ten brothers needed to go. The food may have been rationed where an individual was only allowed to purchase a set amount. Or perhaps there was safety in a larger number. Jacob did not allow Benjamin, who would have been around twenty, to go, “for he feared that harm might happen to him.” – there was another time when all the brothers had gone off with one his favored sons, and bad things happened.

The Observant Satrap (vv. 6-11)

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”[2] 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

“Joseph was governor over the land” – governor is a strong Hebrew word for complete mastery. The emphasis is on the absolute power Joseph held (over his brothers).[3] When Joseph was younger the older brothers had power (physically stronger) over him and they used it to take out their anger and frustration by throwing him in a pit and selling Joseph off as a slave – to get rid of him. Now the situation is reversed. Joseph now has absolute power over the brothers. So, this is a question of once a person has power (everyone wants to rule the world), how will they use that power? How will Joseph use his new found power with his estranged brothers?

The brothers appear to be the same, just older. Joseph easily recognizes them. But Joseph is very different than when they last saw him, “the intervening years have left no outward sign of his origin. He is thoroughly Egyptian in rank, name, and speech; he is communicating with the petitioners through an interpreter (v. 23).”[4] We see that Joseph seems to want to be reconciled with his brothers, but there has to be a heart change on the brother’s part, “the path to reconciliation must pass through this deep valley.”[5]

(v.9) As his brothers are bowing down before him, Joseph “remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them.” It was the dreams that drove his brothers to hate him when he was a kid. Joseph, many years before, told his brothers, Genesis 37:7-8 “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”

For Joseph, the dream was a promise from God – this is going to happen. The fulfillment of the dream was incomplete because it included all the brothers, and his father. The dream from God guided Joseph on what to do next. Joseph also, wanted to see how his brothers treated the new favored child.

The Observation of Sin (vv. 12-17, 18-21)

12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers,[6] the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

Joseph does not wish to punish the brothers, because he is second only to pharaoh and could have them killed with a motion of his hand, or a nod of his head. Instead, he wants to test Were they the same brothers who threw him in a pit, and sold him as a slave or have they changed; are they different? All the brothers are there except Benjamin (the only other son of Rachel) – have they done the same thing to him, that they did to Joseph? He needs to have them all together – including his father.

Let’s look back at Genesis 37:12ff. Joseph seems to be reenacting the day he was sold into slavery. It was the last time he saw his brothers. Are they the same men? Has their heart changed? Look at how they describe themselves, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers,” In Gen. 37:19 they called him the dreamer, “They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.” But now they call him brother, later in v. 22 he “the boy.” There is a tenderness now, that was not there before.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another,

“In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”

 The brothers talk in their Hebrew tongue, they don’t think Joseph can understand what they are saying. They admit they are guilty of how they treated their brother, “In truth we are guilty” and they fear God is now judging them. Twenty years has passed and they are carrying the weight of their sin. So they finally admit it, 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Joseph doesn’t know the condition of his father, his other brother, and all the wives and children of his other brothers – they may be starving. So, he changes the plan, so that all the grain can get back safely home.

The Ongoing of Severity (vv. 23-25)

23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

Why did Joseph weep? His brothers were showing signs that their hearts were changed. When our loved ones, whose eyes are blind and hearts are hardened toward the Lord, begin to show signs that God is at work in their souls – we weep. There is hope for the lost, no matter how many years it has been.

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

The money is replaced into the sacks and when they discover it, they are terrified. “Joseph’s replacement of his brother’s money in their sacks is to show that they were his guests; it is a sign of his deeply veiled love which makes them so great a gift.”[7]

Throughout the passage, God is mentioned. Joseph says, “for I fear God,” and here the brothers say, “What is this that God has done to us?”— We are asking the question, are the brothers different, are their hearts any different now, than when they mistreated their brother the years before? There is a deep sense of guilt, and admission that they were wrong, and here a fear of a holy God and His judgment against sin.

However, “This is the first time in the entire story, beginning with the birth of the first of the sons of Jacob in chapter 29, that any of Joseph’s brothers is said to have mentioned God.”[8] Joseph talked about God regularly, but not the brothers. The brothers are acknowledging that God is controlling a specific, important circumstance of their lives. God has seen the sin, God is not forgetting their sin, God is intervening, God remembers.

They are feeling the thumb of the Lord being pressed against their hearts. These brothers grew up in the home of a man of God – they were the sons of Jacob. God had brought Abraham, their great grandfather, out of Ur. God appeared to their father at Bethel and had wrestled with him at Jabbok. They knew all about God – but they did not know God personally.

(v. 28) It wasn’t the famine, nor the being thrown into prison, nor the harsh treatment, or seeing Simeon bound up and carried to prison that deeply affected them; it was not these things that caused “their hearts (to) fail(ed) them,” or for them to tremble; What got the guys messed up was a sign of grace and love.

These men knew and understood harshness and cruelty, but what caused them to collapse in fear was gentleness, love, and compassion – they didn’t understand it. All they had known their entire lives was favoritism, hatred, family drama, anger, guilt, and shame. But here, God does something good for them, for the Lord is good. Romans 2:4 “. . . God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

“The reason was that they knew they did not deserve generosity and so they could not believe it. . .Their record had its foundation in rottenness, and therefore they were fearful that any accident might bring the structure of life tumbling down.” Earlier (v. 18) Joseph said, “for I fear God,” but the brothers did not have a holy and saving fear of God – they have a shameful fear. The foundation of their lives were rotten, and they feared could collapse at any moment (a guilty conscience).[9]

The Obligation of Sons (vv. 29-38)

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” 35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

Jacob has a total of 12 sons, one he thinks is lost (Joseph), one is being held captive as a guarantor (Simeon), but Jacob says, “he is the only one left.” Even though Jacob is old, he still needs a heart change – God has blessed him with 12 sons (not two).

35 says, “they were (all) afraid,” Why was Jacob afraid? There had been a time before, when the brothers had lost a brother, and returned with money – now here again, a brother was gone, there is a wild story, and they have grain and new found money. Does Jacob see through the brother’s story, is he doubting they are saying the truth? The family is still a mess and needs God to intervene.

But it is a family who had been given a promise by God. Earlier in Genesis 28:14-15 God promised Jacob and his, “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

There is only one answer to their problem – A loving father has to give up his only son, that he loves dearly so that those that sinned can be saved. There is a reckoning coming to all “who have sinned and fall short” of God’s requirement for entrance into heaven. Before we stand before our creator as sinners, there must be a heart change.

We have to give God our messed up lives, our messed up families, our messed up marriages, and receive His promise for our lives. Give God your fear and failures, and receive His promise of eternal life, forgiveness, purpose, and calling.

_________________________

[1] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1987) 115.

[2] “to see the nakedness of the land,” was a forceful way of saying ‘to pry into all our private affairs.’” Derek Kidner, Genesis, An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1967) 199.

[3] As being “the one who sold to all the people of the land” probably involved fixing the price at which the grain should be sold, determining the quantities to be allowed to purchasers, and examining the companies of foreigners who came to buy. Thomas Whitelaw, The Pulpit Commentary, Genesis (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1978) 474.

[4] E. A. Speiser, The Anchor Bible, Genesis (Garden City, New York; Doubleday & Company, 1986) 324.

[5] Claus Westermann, Genesis 37-50, A Commentary (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1986) 106.

[6] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52298/we-are-seven William Wordsworth, “We Are Seven.”

[7] Gerhard Von Rad, Genesis A Commentary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Westminster Press, 1952) 379.

[8] Boice, 133.

[9] George Arthur Buttrick, Commentary Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1952) 787.

“Getting Your Heart Ready For Worship ” Psalm 24

Getting Your Heart Ready For Worship

Psalm 24

 Introduction

The 24th Psalm is a hymn or a song that would have been sung either going to the temple, as they entered the temple, or as they were leaving a worship service, and it directs the hearts of his people to worship God in a manner that recognizes his glory.  It celebrates God coming into the holy city and God’s people were going to see Him.

If we truly believed that God were to enter this room and His presence were to fill this room – would we have come to the worship service any differently? So to prepare God’s people’s hearts – they would have sung this hymn to prepare themselves. This is the heart of worship – a humble recognition of the sovereignty of our triune God and responding appropriately by presenting our praise, devotion, and lives to Him.  True worship is an all-consuming desire to give God all that we are to all that He is.

Psalm 24 is a picture of worshippers arriving at a church at the same time. They are walking together into worship. But before they enter into the temple itself, “would -be celebrators ask who may join (v.3). A liturgist replies: those who have aligned themselves toward this ordering God are those whose actions and motives are pure and who do not ally themselves to falsehood (v.4). A promise is given: these pilgrims will receive Yahweh’s righteousness (vv. 5-6). Only then does the procession through the temple gates begin, . . .”[1]

As we enter into Bellevue Baptist Church and find our seat, and settle in for a time of worship what enters our minds? Are we focused on what we’re doing after church; are we focused on the conversation we had with our spouse on the way to church; are we focused on how angry we are about our kids getting their clothes dirty before church? What are we focused on right now? Are you ready to meet with God?

Prayer – Lord you are sovereign and all that exists is under your dominion. Everything and everyone on the earth is under your sovereign control.  This morning we come before you to worship you, and you have said, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart” Lord you have given us pure hearts and clean hands through our Savoir Jesus Christ. But there are so many times when we go back to the world, and we allow ourselves to be led away from you. Draw us close to You, through your word and Holy Spirit. We seek your face this morning and we desire to know how to apply your Word to our hearts. Amen.

A Recognition of God’s Power (vv. 1-2)

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

The psalm (and the preparation of our hearts) begins with a recognition that the earth and everything in it is this Lord’s.  This includes people, all people are under the Lord’s dominion.  It doesn’t matter if someone believes in Him, or is not being obedient to Him, God is still God and reigns over the earth.

God has this authority because he made it.  So we begin to learn about worship by looking at what is the difference between the Creator and the created.  God is not “one of us” He is above and beyond the creation.  He is powerful enough to create and establish creation from nothing, man can only manipulate the world around him.

Also, it is God who not only created the world, but He also sustains it.  The earth and everything in it are dependent upon God for its continued existence. Hebrews 1:3 “He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”  We need God, he is not optional in our lives.

Psalm 104:27-30 “These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.”

He is not a deistic god who stays far away, but the Lord comes to His creation, therefore, His creation must prepare for his coming. He came to Adam and Eve in the garden, He came to Abraham and Sara, He came to Moses on the mountain, He came to earth born of a virgin and lived among us for over 30 years – The God we worship loves His creation and loves to spend time with it.

John the Baptist’s ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry to begin. He did this by preaching messages of repentance or turning from sin, and encouraging people to seek the Lord.  Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

Entering into worship of God means that we must prepare our hearts for the person that we will meet there.  God who created us, sustains us by the power of his word, and all of creation all around us – This God is here, and we can go and meet with Him – or can we?

A Revelation of God’s Purity (vv. 3-6)

“3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah”

 Among all the earth inhabitants, who is acceptable and able to come before this sovereign king? Or how must a person prepare themselves when approaching such an awesome being?

 “The hill of the Lord” is a reference to Mt. Zion or Jerusalem, where God dwelled above the ark of the covenant.  If we ask the question a different way it would be, “who may stand in this holy place?” the holy place references Jerusalem that sat atop of Mt. Zion, “his holy place.” Who is spiritually qualified to fellowship with this awesome king?

 The answer is the person who has clean hands and a pure heart.  Clean hands speaks of a person’s purity in their outward actions.  A pure heart speaks of a persons inner soul that is holy and undefiled, set apart to God without moral defilement.

 A person’s life must be pure and clean if God is to be approached in worship and fellowship.  Specifically, this requires that a person not lift his soul to an idol.  He must have no other gods before his love for and loyalty to the one true God (Ex. 20:3).  An idol is anyone or anything that a person loves, fears, or serves more than God.  When the psalmist speaks of “not swearing deceitfully” he is speaking of not placing higher allegiance to anything or anyone before God.

 Another way to define this idea of idolatry is “not lifting ourselves to emptiness.”  This is talking about the inner soul or thing that makes you alive, the deepest part of who you are – don’t offer that to “emptiness.”  God created you, and sustains you – this life that is within you should not be given to anyone or anything other than God.  Worshipping anything else is giving our lives to things and people that will leave us “empty.”   

The requirement to enter into God’s presence is an outward and inward perfection. The worshipper who enters into the presence of the Lord must have and understand their need for grace and mercy. “The psalm is clear that the person so described in v. 4 is in need of a Savior and in need of righteousness.”[2]

 The blessing that the repentant worshipper receives is righteousness and forgiveness.  Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

When we turn from our sins and seek the Lord with all our heart – He will meet with us and we can enter into His presence because of Christ.

 A Realization of God’s Presence (vv. 7-10) 

“7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!”   

 The gates are commanded to open their doors wide, and be ready to receive the King of glory.  In David’s time this referred to the carrying of the ark into Jerusalem.  This was a call for the ark to be brought into the sanctuary in triumphant procession.

 During the first coming of Christ, who was the greater Son of David, had a triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matt. 21:1-11).  Ultimately, it refers to the ascension of Christ to the heavenly Zion to be enthroned at God’s right hand.

 From within the city is asked the question “Who is this King of glory?” It is those who are carrying the ark, those within the city itself and those who have given the king of glory their hearts who yell out, “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”

 This is the one who can enter into the presence of God – the one who can enter the city, whose gates fly open at his presence, but remain closed for everyone else, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who can enter in.   It is this Lord who has shown himself strong and mighty in defeating all His people’s enemies.

 How has Jesus shown himself strong and mighty in battle?  1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

When we see the psalmist say in verse 5, “He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Salvation means deliverance, rescue, victory, help, or liberty.  Mankind was entangled and held captive by sin and death, but Jesus acting as our Savior brought us salvation and set us free from sin and death.  He is the only one who is mighty enough to save us, and therefore none other deserves our worship and devotion.

Because we are freed of sin and death, when we stand before God “our hands are clean, and our hearts are pure” – God sees the blood of Christ shed for the world, and we may enter into the temple and stand before the Lord.

The gates are told to “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up” – they are told to lift up their heads, not bow down before the Lord – when we enter into worship with God, yes we bow before Him in reverence of who he is – but God is telling us to be joyful and anticipate hope – lift your head up and sing His praises because we have something to be joyful about.

Psalm 3:3 “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

Conclusion

When our hearts are right before the Lord, and when we understand who it is that we stand before and bow down to worship – we respond to God with reverence, humility, praise, and devotion.

A person’s life will never rise above their view of God.  If we see Him high and lifted up and think highly of Him, then our lives will be marked by holiness and seeking to do great things for a mighty God.  But if our view of God is low, then we will live a low life, and seek our own self interests.

Is Jesus your Savior this morning and are you seeking Him with your whole heart? ABC

 ___________________

[1] Craig C. Broyles, New International Biblical Commentary, Psalms (Hendrickson Publishing, 2005) 127.

[2] Broyles 130. The doctrine of imputed righteousness is found throughout the Bible.

“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” John 14:1-14

“The Conversationalist” Sermon Series

When Jesus Speaks Through Parables

“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”

John 14:1-14

Introduction

Chapter 14 comes right after the Last Supper. Jesus has told the disciples that He is going away, “To men who have left everything for their Leader to be told that He is about to leave them is shattering.”[1] Jesus is leaving, and they can’t go with him. Peter has been told that he will deny Christ three times, John has been told that Judas has betrayed Jesus. All of the disciples are struggling with different things. It won’t be long before Judas shows up with torches and soldiers. Then following Jesus’ arrest will come the scourging and crucifixion. The disciples will scatter and they will all be greatly troubled – so Jesus turns to the disciples and says,  . . .

Belief in Difficult Times (vv. 1-7)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.[2] 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

(v.1) “Let not your hearts be troubled,” – It is not a sin to be troubled. What Jesus is saying is to not allow worry to consume you. So how do we keep our concerns about life from consuming us, from totally overwhelming us?

Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of what is today known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, gave this excellent advice: “Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God’s] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about.”[3] Worry and anxiety is what we try to hold on to, we feel it is within our control. But the truth is that even when tomorrow arrives and the wolf is at the door, you still have no absolute control.

The way to keep worry from consuming us is faith and prayer in the triune Godhead. Philippians 4:6-7 “. . . do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus says to the disciples, “Believe in God; believe also in me.” – It is very important for the disciples to understand who Jesus really is and what He is like. Jesus is the Son of Man, the Bread of Life, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World – God who took on human flesh and dwelt amongst His creation. Jesus is telling the disciples to believe that He is who He says He is.

How we interpret the trials of this life is directly related to our understanding of God. We say that God is all powerful, but He can’t deal with your problem? We say God is all-knowing but He doesn’t know what you are going through? God is love, yet He allows you to suffer and experience pain?

For the disciples, things are about to get really bad, and it would be easy for them to believe that God was against them, mad at them, not concerned about them, or was powerless to stop these things form happening. How we understand God also directly affects how we pray, or even if we pray at all.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (see also James 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). When Jesus says that He is going away, He is not abandoning them (God does not abandon His people), but leaving them for a purpose, “I go to prepare a place for you.”

The emphasis of the Father’s house is not on the opulence but on Jesus providing space. There is plenty of room for those who have faith in the Son. This is not about you living in a mansion or receiving wealth when you get to heaven; Jesus is emphasizing that there is a space for you to be with Him. He is preparing heaven so that there is space to be with Him for eternity. The focus is the relationship with God. “will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Jesus is saying that He is preparing a place where you can be with Him, not so that you can be rich.

2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” So Jesus is leaving, but while He is away he is preparing a place in heaven for his own, and will one day return to gather believers and take them to heaven.

(v. 4) “you know the way to where I am going,” – Jesus then points back to his teachings, to the three and half years he has spent with the disciples. Jesus says, “I have been teaching you for years; in that information you have what you need to get you to where he is going.” How much do they recall from over three years of teaching?

Jesus is expecting them to remember, to have applied His teachings to their lives, to be able to take from this library full of stories, sermons, miracles, and His example and live a Christian life – what the early church called “The Way.” Jesus still expects His followers to do this; we have the privilege and blessing to have Jesus’ teachings in a book that we can cross-reference, flip to the back and look stuff up by topics, etc. To show up for a service is not enough, God expects us to make the effort to learn and apply God’s Word to our lives, “you know the way,” You have to make an effort to learn and apply God’s Word to your life. You have at your fingertips all the information you need.

When we hear comments such as, “it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere,” or “all religions will lead men to heaven,” or “creeds and doctrine are not important” – Jesus clears all that up, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

(v. 5) “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” – Instead of pretending like he knew what was going on, or that he understood what Jesus was talking about, he spoke up and said something.

So Jesus answers Thomas’ question by saying, (v. 6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – Jesus is going to be with the Father in heaven; He is speaking of the way to God. Jesus not only shows people how to go to heaven, but He himself is the way (He will lay down His life for mankind’s salvation).

You need all three of these expressions for salvation, “Way speaks of a connection between two, the link between God and man. “Truth” reminds us of the complete reliability of Jesus in all that He does and is. And “life” stresses the fact that mere physical existence matters little.” We will also see that Jesus would rise from the dead, showing power over life and death.

When Jesus says, “I am the way,” He is not saying that He is the way-shower, as if man was at a fork in the road and Jesus shows him the correct way; he asks himself “what would Jesus do?” As if by making the right decisions Jesus will make your life better. No, mankind “needs a Savior, because he is lost, dead in his sins, without strength to do anything.”[4] So when Jesus declares, “I am the Way,” there is no other way for lost sinners to be saved from their sin, or to be made right with God, except through Him.

When Jesus says, “I am the truth,” Jesus is not just revealing truth, He is the Truth Himself. “While the Word of God, the written revelation of God, is truth, He, the living Word, is the Whosoever knows Him knows truth, for in Him are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”[5]

“I am the Life, Jesus is the source of life. He was at the beginning of time, as the Creator, He sustains all life in the present, and Jesus redeems His creation back as it’s Savior. Jesus gives eternal life, by His sacrificial death on the cross. He is the origin of all life.

(v. 7) “From now on you do know him and have seen him.” – up until this point, the disciples did not truly know God the Father because the Son was continuing to reveal, teach, show, and be an example in front of them; but now this revelation was drawing to a close. All the lessons, all the parables, all the rebukes, all the miracles, and Jesus’ time on earth was drawing to a close – once his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were done Jesus’ job as Savior would be complete. From this point on in history it was now possible to know God.

Jesus shows us how to know God, and what God is like.

Belief Grounded in Jesus’ Works (vv. 8-11)

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Again, this conversation is taking place in the context of their hearts being troubled. Philip says in so many words, “if we can just see the Father, then all of our heartache and fear will go away.”[6] Phillip asks Jesus to show them God the Father, and Jesus responds (v. 9) “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” – Jesus answers the question, “what is God like?”

(v. 9) “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” – It was Philip who went to Nathaniel in John 1:45, “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Philip knew Jesus was the Messiah, but even at this point, after over three years that title is still filling with understanding.

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” – “In the OT the prophets beheld a visible glory of the Lord. He dwelt in the midst of His people, both in the tabernacle and in the temple. Many times His glory was seen. Isaiah beheld him in the temple vision; Ezekiel saw the glory and in the midst of the glorious cloud one like unto a son of man; Daniel beheld Him in His visions and saw Him face to face on the river bank. They did not know that he who appeared in visible glory – whom Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and other holy men of God saw – was none other but he in whose companionship they had walked, who was speaking to them now.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,” – Jesus is encouraging the disciples to have faith in Him, but it is not a blind faith.[7] But it is a “Faith (that) includes a recognition that what Jesus says is true.” Jesus’ invitation is not to a lifestyle change, or a different way of thinking (like meditation), nor something to add to your life that will help you be healthier, or wealthier. Jesus says, “come follow me.” It is an invitation to a relationship with God that requires you to give everything (ex. the disciples left everything to follow Jesus.)

(v. 11) “or else believe on account of the works themselves,” – Jesus says something similar in John 5:36 “For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” “His miracles are more than mere acts of power. They are signposts revealing the presence of God in him and telling us that the kingdom of God has arrived.”[8] The works that Jesus did should point a person to place their faith in Him.

That faith in Jesus is not just a mental belief, but one that drives that person to action.

Followers of Jesus Do the Work (vv. 12-14)

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

The book of Acts is a picture of what happens with the group of Jesus’ disciples after He ascends into heaven. There are some miracles, “but the emphasis is on the mighty works of conversion.” There were many people saved during Jesus’ ministry, but when you go across the generations, millions upon millions of people have placed their faith in Christ. “During His lifetime the Son of God was confined in His influence to a comparatively small sector of Palestine. After His departure His followers were able to work”[9] all over the world.

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do” and “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” – Both of these promises from God are based on the disciples desire to make the name of Christ known, to continue to work of Jesus in their time and place. As the disciple seeks to do what Jesus did, he or she will run across needs in ministry. As they are seeking to glorify God, to continue His mission they ask Him for something – Jesus then promises to answer their request.

The work of Christ and prayer are expected to go hand-in-hand. If you are a disciple then you do what Jesus did. If you are doing what Jesus did, then you will pray. If you are praying, then ask for anything in Jesus’ name and He will do it.

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[1] Leon Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) 637.

[2] For more information on Jesus’ return see https://drewboswell.com/1-thessalonians-sermon-series-standing-firm-foundational-doctrine-for-new-believers-standing-firm-in-christs-return-1-thessalonians-413-18/

[3] http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/worry.htm

[4] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John, An Exposition (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1982) 270.

[5] Gaelelein, 271.

[6] A theophany such as Ex. 24:10; 33:17ff; Isa. 6:1

[7] This is why doctrine, for the believer, is so important. For more in this topic see:  https://drewboswell.com/category/sermons/the-fundamentals-of-our-faith/

[8] Grant R. Osborne, Osborne New Testament Commentaries, Verse by Verse, John (Bellingham, Washington; Lexham Press, 2018) 339.

[9] Morris, 646.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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