Teaching is my passion and teaching believers the Word of God is my calling. That's why I write a weekly newsletter from the Word of God. Knowledge builds faith and faith builds understanding. Drop your email below to receive helpful lessons about God's Word.
I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
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Ask God: In Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, John begins with Jesus' Farewell Discourse to His disciples--and to you and me. Jesus has explained who He is and now tells the disciples that He will be leaving them soon. But for only a while and then He will return for them. Good Evening Reader, Happy New Year. Some changes will be happening in 2026. We are updating the website and will be adding blogs to the site. This change will begin to take effect in a couple of weeks. The year of 2025 has been a good one but 2026 offers more exciting happenings. May God blessed you and keep you. All Glory to God. Elvin Peace Through Knowing "The Way" John 14:1-14 Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled If you were about to leave your family and closest friends for a long time, what would you say to them? Would your words center around you, or would they empathize with those you are leaving? Would your sentences all start with me, I, my, or myself? Pronouns show where your heart is. Would your words be words of hope and your future meeting, or only of the sadness caused by the separation? John 14 begins Jesus' Farewell Discourse (John 14-17). Jesus gathers His disciples together to prepare them for His departure. It is interesting what Jesus said to them in the midst of His betrayal, denial, and His impending death on the cross. The purpose of His message was clear. He wanted to replace their fear with hope; confusion with clarity of purpose; and their sorrow with unshakable hope and faith rooted in their future with Him. He knew their faith would be shaken by His words, so He anchored His words in the truth. He revealed who He truly is—God the Son, promised the coming of another Helper, the Holy Spirit. He assured them that His departure was not an abandonment but a victory. Jesus knew of the coming betrayal by Judas, the denial by Peter, and the suffering of the cross. Jesus then tells His disciples that He will be leaving. This shakes their hearts and fear fills the room. "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1) is not a suggestion. It is a command spoken by God to all believers. John records these words so we will know that the One who calms troubled hearts has divine authority to do so. This passage is not about a place called heaven as much as it is about a Person who is the way there. "Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled: Jesus Comforts His Disciples" John 14:1, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." This command is to give His disciples the faith to move forward and to carry out His purpose. Jesus places belief in Himself on the same level as belief in God the Father: "You believe in God; believe also in Me." As the disciples let this statement sink in, they realized that no prophet ever spoke in this way. Jesus does not say, "Believe what I teach." He says, "Believe in Me." John wants the reader to see that Jesus is not merely comforting His disciples but that He is the Comforter. Troubled hearts are often the result of misplaced trust, trusting in self. Jesus redirects their faith from circumstances to Himself. Peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of Christ. "I Go to Prepare a Place: A Personal Promise from the Divine Son" John 14:2–3, "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." Amid the confusion and turmoil, Jesus' concern is for His followers. Yes, He is going away, but in doing so, He will prepare a place for them. And then He will return to get them and be together again. His departure is not permanent. He speaks of His Father's house with authority and intimacy. Jesus is not guessing about the coming events—He knows. Heaven is not a dream concept to Jesus; it is His home. The promise is deeply personal: "I will come again and receive you to Myself." The goal is not merely a destination but a relationship. Salvation is not about escaping earth; it is about being with Christ forever. John wants believers to understand that only someone who came from heaven could prepare a place in heaven—and only God could promise to return for His people. "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: The Exclusive Path to the Father" John 14:6," Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" "I am the way" is not a direction as a road map but a destination. When believers come to Jesus, they have arrived. Thomas voiced the opinion of the many when he asked, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" They had not yet fully gained insight into who Jesus is. Thomas voiced humanity's honest confusion, and Jesus responds with one of the most explicit declarations of His deity in all of Scripture. Jesus does not say He will show you the way. He is all three. "No one comes to the Father except through Me" is not narrow-minded—it is truth spoken by God. John records this to leave no room for alternative paths. If Jesus is God, then access to God must come through Him alone. "If You Have Seen Me, You Have Seen the Father: God Revealed in Flesh" This reply should leave no question as to who Jesus is. He is God, and if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father. The disciples must have been thinking that they could see Jesus, but they could not see God, so how could Jesus be God? It was this mindset that prevented the disciples from fully understanding much of what Jesus taught them. They were stuck in the physical, not the spiritual. John 14:9, "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." Philip asks Jesus to "Show us the Father", and Jesus responds with gentle correction and divine clarity, which is the heartbeat of John's Gospel. "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." Jesus is not a reflection of God—He is the revelation of God. The works He does and the words He speaks flow from perfect unity with the Father. Then Jesus makes an astonishing promise: believers will participate in His work through prayer offered in His name. Prayer becomes effective not because of technique, but because of our relationship with the Son of God. Summary & Life Take-Aways "Living with Untroubled Hearts in a Troubled World" John 14:1–14 teaches us that faith in Jesus is faith in God, and trust in Christ is the cure for fear. In His Farewell Discourse, Jesus prepares His disciples not just for His departure, but for life without His physical presence—anchored by truth, prayer, and hope. Take-Away Truths for Daily Living
We see how believers can live with settled hearts and have confident faith in our Lord and Savior. Praying bold prayers grounds us in the truth that Jesus is God. He has not left us alone. Elvin
PS. Share your newfound knowledge with you friends. Reader, Hosea said his people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge give believers and non-believers a choice. When a person does not know, they cannot choose. Feel free to forward this lesson to your friends and family. Grow in the knowledge of God. Elvin Send your comments to elvin.aycock@AskGodForHelp.net and let me know what you think of the lessons. Go to: www.AskGodForHelp.net To See More Living Life Lessons |
Grow in the Knowledge of God's Word
Teaching is my passion and teaching believers the Word of God is my calling. That's why I write a weekly newsletter from the Word of God. Knowledge builds faith and faith builds understanding. Drop your email below to receive helpful lessons about God's Word.