THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part XXXVIII: Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Edification Of True Believers, John 14-17

B. Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Promise Of Ministry Production For True Believers

(John 14:7-14)

I. Introduction

A. John's Gospel asserts that though no man has seen the Father at any time, Jesus Christ, the Unique Son of the Father, has "declared" (exegesato, "exegeted," Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 273) Him, John 1:18.

B. This truth is explained and applied by Christ even to us in our era in John 14:7-14, so we view it (as follows):

II. Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Promise Of Ministry Production For True Believers, John 14:7-14.

A. In John 14:7-11, Jesus as the Son of God revealed an astounding union exists between God the Father and Himself, a union that impacted the very words and works of Jesus Christ throughout His earthly ministry:

1. Jesus claimed that God the Father is known through one's knowing Himself, John 14:7a. Indeed, Jesus added that His disciples from that time forward both had known and had seen the Father, John 14:7b.

2. Neither understanding nor appreciating Jesus' statement, Philip asked Him for a theophany of the Father, John 14:8 (Ibid., p. 323), and Christ replied that whoever had seen Him had seen the Father, John 14:9. This amazing claim reveals that "(t)he Father is in Jesus and Jesus perfectly reveals Him (1:18)," Ibid.

3. Yet, going much farther, Jesus said that even the words He spoke were not of His own authority, but they with His works were under the authority and authorship of God the Father Who indwelt Him, John 14:10.

4. Jesus thus told His disciples to believe that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him, or else to believe this fact based on the very works He had performed in His earthly ministry, John 14:11.

5. These miracles fulfilled Scripture predictions like Isaiah 35:4-5 and 61:1-2 (cf. Matthew 11:2-6) on the coming of the Messiah from God, so Jesus' works could easily be validated as the works of God's Servant, in turn validating Jesus' claim about His unique union with the Father in His ministry's words and works.

B. Then, in John 14:12-14, Jesus remarkably applied His close union with the Father to the believer's union with Himself and gave a promise of the believer's great future production in view of God's involvement with him:

1. Applying His intimate union with the Father to His union with believers in the coming Church era, Jesus strongly ("truly, truly") claimed that He who believed in Him would do the works that He had done in His earthly ministry, and perform even greater works than these since Jesus went to the Father, John 14:12.

2. In fulfillment of this promise, the book of Acts describes how the Apostles performed miracles Jesus did in His ministry (cf. Acts 5:15-16 with Matt. 14:35-36), and greater works "in extent through the worldwide preaching of the Gospel," and greater "in effect" in "spiritual redemption and placing in the body of Christ multitudes of people since the day of Pentecost," Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to John 14:12.

3. We Christians today living after the end of the Apostolic age "sign" gifts era (speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy, etc.) may wonder if we can succeed in our ministries like the Apostles did. Jesus taught that we can by adding in John 14:13-14 that in His going to the Father [to intercede for US believers on the earth (Hebrews 7:25)], He promised that whatever we today ask in His name, He will do, that the Father might be glorified in the Son, John 14:13. Thus, when believers today use Jesus' name in prayer, they exhibit FAITH in HIM, which faith is the RESULT of the FATHER'S authenticating words and works IN Jesus IN His earthly ministry that was MEANT to GET US to TRUST in JESUS, John 14:10-11; 17:20. Thus, God will surely answer our prayers made in Jesus' name, for our prayers made in His Name glorify the FATHER IN the SON! Christ thus intensified the promise, repeating it in John 14:14!

4. [Other Scriptures qualify what prayers God answers: they (a) must come from believers who harbor no unconfessed sin (Psalm 66:18 with 1 John 1:9) and (b) from believers who do God's will in living, 1 John 3:22. (c) Also, the prayer requests must align with God's Biblical will, 1 John 5:14-15.]

Lesson: The intimate spiritual union of God the Father and God the Son seen in the Father's authorizing and even authoring Jesus' words and works in His earthly ministry so influences the believer's union with Christ today, that by his prayer in Jesus' name that exhibits faith in Him, the believer produces great works via God's involvement!

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as Savior to have eternal life, John 3:16. (2) May we believers tap into the astounding resource we have in the intimate spiritual union of the Father and the Son by praying to the Father in the Son's Name in righteousness to accomplish great works in our own personal ministry assignments on earth!