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Love

Teaching Texts: John 14: 1-14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority.Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Themes

Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:

Joy Complete

Formation

Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:

God wants your joy to be complete and Jesus is showing us The Way.
What do you think about Jesus’ conversation with His friends at the end of His life?
What do you notice about what Jesus gives His attention to?
What surprises you?
“You don’t have to let your heart be troubled.”
For many of us this is the real crucible of belief
How can I deal with the swirling agonies of my own heart?
How can I hold on to concrete hope in a world that throws pain in my face everyday?
How can I know my days are filled with meaning and love?
How can I speak of one way to life or God in a pluralistic world?
DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED
I am, in fact, very grateful that we don just see Jesus in one emotional state throughout His life.
- He gets angry and flips over tables
- He cries
- His spirit is deeply troubled at times (these hours show us this)
- He keeps a party going long into the night
- He has deep joy and gladness
So what is He saying to His friends (the disciples) here?
- I don’t think He is saying never feel emotional turmoil in a broken world.
- I THINK HE IS SAYING – DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS MAKE TROUBLE THEIR HOME
  - Don’t stay there til you sink
  - Don’t forget hope
  - Don’t become defined only by your pain or the pain of the world
WHY NOT?
UNION WITH ME…
- YOUR PLACE IS SECURE
- THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD FOR YOU TO JOIN IN
Remember, Jesus is on the way to the Cross.
- In just a few hours he is going to be arrested in the garden where he loved to pray
- His friends are going to scatter
- He will go through a trumped up trial, a brutal humiliating beating, and torturous death
And He chooses to do this with His time.
He moves to comfort them.
You an learn a lot by questions one asks.
What questions do you have for God right now?
What longings, hopes, hurts, etc. do those questions point to?
Jesus response:
- First, YOUR PLACE IS SECURE…
  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” – John 14 v 1-7
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
The disciples are often trying to help Jesus make more sense …. But Jesus says I AM THE WAY
I am not giving you a disembodied religious pathway to walk and I’ll meet you at the end of your life in heaven.
HE IS SAYING THE WAY IS RELATIONSHIP WITH ME
How is your peace in turmoil?
How is your walk/closeness and understanding of Jesus your friend?
GOD SAYS I WANT TO LIVE WITH YOU and your worst failures. I am there to say Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing
THE KEY TO THE IMPOSSIBLE IS THIS FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS.
BUT ALSO YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE JESUS STUFF
- “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” – John 14 v 12-14
You will do what Jesus does
You will do even greater things
This will be sustained and supported in prayer - talking friendship
Jesus’ invitation to His friends in the midst of turmoil is a place of peace (connected to Him) and a mission of love to be used in the midst of the chaos. Sometimes in spite of your chaos.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it.”
What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus?
What does this mean for us?
Where do you need Him to meet you with peace?
Where can you be a Kingdom influence in your world?