Thursday, May 3, 2018

The Gospel of John - Outline Part 35 - The Road to Paradise

TITLE
John 14:1-14 – The Road to Paradise


EXPLANATION
Jesus continued to instruct His disciples.  He did not want them to struggle and be alarmed.  Rather than giving in to fear, they needed to believe in God and His Christ, Jesus.  Trusting in God was and is the route to contentment, because our future hope of satisfaction lies in the establishment of our home in Heaven with Him.  Jesus Himself is the actual pathway to arrive at this heavenly destination.  Not only that, but He Himself is the complete visible image of the Father.  Therefore, walking with Christ affords us both the ingress into Heaven as well as a foretaste of the Father, before we arrive.  Should we struggle with such faith, Jesus said that His works attest to His worthiness to be the recipient of our faith.

The belief that Jesus was describing is not merely one of intellectual assent.  It is a practical working faith that results in concrete and tangible actions.  One who has genuine trust in Christ will do the works that Christ did, which are themselves the works of the Father.  This does not mean that all Christians will perform signs, wonders, and miracles.  Rather, Jesus was pointing to the real work of God, through Christ, which was the giving of life to dead hearts.


APPLICATION
There is only one pathway to Heaven.  There is only one road to complete peace and freedom on this earth.  His name is Jesus, the Christ.  While we as Christians may acknowledge this with our lips, do our feet echo the same sentiment?  In other words, do we live like Christ is the way, the truth, and the life?  Or, when we face the difficulties of life do we turn inward and rely on our own strength?

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