John 14:1 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. 4 Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”
5 T’oma said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me. 7 Because you have known me, you will also know my Father; from now on, you do know him — in fact, you have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it will be enough for us.” 9 Yeshua replied to him, “Have I been with you so long without your knowing me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me? What I am telling you, I am not saying on my own initiative; the Father living in me is doing his own works. 11 Trust me, that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me. But if you can’t, then trust because of the works themselves. 12 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father. 13 In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do; so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me for something in my name, I will do it.”
The Way to What?
The Father.
Think back throughout the entire Bible. Why do we have it? What has always been the objective from Abba’s perspective? Is it to provide us with stories of miracles, poetry, history? Sure, but there are millions of writings that cover these same things.
What we have here is a continual cry for man to reconcile with his Maker. Time and again, Abba has done whatever He could to go back to how it was in the Garden. Walking with His people and living face-to-face. Sharing life with Him, having a (vegetarian) cookout by the river, and hearing Him talk about the days of creation. Also explaining to us our purpose.
This is His heart’s desire. And He made a way but we always found a way to screw it up.
Due to the entry of death, man was forced to dwell out of Abba’s presence. This wasn’t just a punishment, it was also protection. Death inside of man would insure instant destruction if he were to come into God’s presence. Adam and Eve were both there when the animals were sacrificed due to their sin. They saw, for the very first time in history, what was required to cover their shame and not be destroyed instantly. Then one son kills the other. Short-lived.
Starting with a small family with firsthand knowledge of the power of God, it seemed to be clear that His instructions for righteousness would easily permeate all of their offspring and they would carry this on generation after generation. And Ham uncovers his father's nakedness -- undoing the covering that was given post-Garden. Well, that didn’t last long.
After a long stint in bondage, you’d think that Abba would have man’s attention and they’d be willing to do whatever was necessary to live in freedom. Knowing man was hard headed, He even wrote it all down this time so there’d be no question as to how we are to approach Him. It couldn’t be forgotten in such a short time as it had in the past so man should be good forever, right? Well, despite a few good years and some ups and downs, eventually man took these written Words and created a prison for anyone seeking to dwell with Abba. Lasted a little longer but, again, it went away.
A Man came. Instead of spoken and written words, He used His own blood to carve out the path. His obedience set in motion a way into Abba’s presence and no man had the authority to stop it. Despite many years of people and organizations polluting the waters, we here today can pull out our phones right now and see clearly what was done.
The veil was torn. And we have been granted access into the presence of God. Stop and think long and hard about this. You. You have access and you know this is 100% true. No one can say otherwise. What was reserved for only the High Priest once per year is now available to you right now.
The trouble with knowing this is that we have taken something sacred and gotten used to it. Converting what was holy into something common. So it isn’t Cain, Ham, Pharisees, or the church that gets in our way -- it’s us.
There is something within all of us that tends to push down the one thing that should be the most important.
We need to confront this problem head on.
Carefully inspecting the Messiah’s words and actions should be our sole-focus when it comes to seeing the Father. If we had any understanding whatsoever, we’d spend night and day searching for just one second in Abba’s presence. And since we don’t, it seems we must believe a lie.
What is that lie? Well, it could be that we aren’t worthy. Or it could be that He isn't worth it. Or maybe we think the world has more to offer. No matter what it is though, it’s a lie. And whether we know it or not, we desperately need truth.
And here is Yeshua, truth in full. Want to know what’s real? Study this Man. Encounter Him. He is the Truth.
Once you know the Way and have embraced the Truth, it’s time to understand Life.
You want to live, right? We all do. But what does it mean to live? Like, really live.
Ah, yes…bungee jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge, skydiving with a Rabbi, streaking in the outfield during the 8th inning of game 7 of the World Series -- that’s living!
Or maybe that’s not what’s meant here. Life in this context is something more profound, something much deeper. Life is the absence of death.
We saw before with the Resurrection and the Life post that death is separation. Therefore the absence of separation is unity. Life is:
Are you living right now?
If you’re coming up short in one of these areas, perhaps you are believing a lie. Spend as much time as you must uncovering the twisted belief that is preventing you from seeking Abba’s presence. So many people live here full time and never even begin the process of removing lies. Incredibly sad, but completely normal (well, not normal…common). But it is possible to get rid of these lies if you choose to do so.
Once you uproot the lie and replace it with the Truth, it’s time to follow the Way.
Yeshua and the Father are one. If you know the Messiah, you know the Father. If you see Yeshua, you see the Father. If you follow the Messiah, you find the Father.
Trust what He says to be true and if you can’t, then trust because of the works themselves.
But even this is not the end. You getting into His presence has an osmosis effect, apparently.
Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father. In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do; so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for something in my name, I will do it.
There is an expectation upon us now. We should look at all He did and whatever we ask for in that same vein He will give to us.
This isn’t stuff, it’s truth. It’s healing. Once we know what He did and why, we can then come to Him to carry that on. This requires a great commitment to understanding Him and His Ways. A larger commitment than we’ve made to our jobs, our hobbies, our addictions, and any other thing that draws in our attention.
When we get into this new space, we are living at a new level.
Deception is gone and every step of your life is clearly marked -- the Way.
The clarity you experience is beyond anything you can comprehend -- the Truth.
The unity in your life will destroy all death within your reach -- the Life.