Believe because of the works - Work because of belief.

John 13:31-14:14 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; ³² if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. ³³ Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” ³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”³⁸ Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

⁷ If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Many people today say there are many ways to heaven. They say that truth is subjective; relative; that truth is whatever a person believes it to be. They say that life is about doing what is best and most satisfying for yourself. In today’s text Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”   In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  The narrow way is not the way of any particlular doctrine or theology. The narrow way is Christ alone. Truth is not what I say or what you say. Truth is Christ. Life is not about what seems good to me. Life is Christ. Jesus gives us both eternal life spiritually and abundant life on earth. Other human philosophies that say that Jesus was a good teacher, but not the way to the Father, cannot possibly justify what they say based on what Jesus says. Either He is right.  He is what He says He is, or He is wrong; deceived and a deceiver. The idea that Jesus was just good, is not reconcilable with the fact that He says He is God.  The text says:  Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”    Jesus performed many great miracles, which testified of His identity and deity when He was here. Many today will doubt and dispute the works that Jesus did. They will dismiss them as myths and fairy tales. These same people though also doubt the work of God in creation. Rather than acknowledge that the intricacies and complexity of creation from the composition of sub atomic matter to that of massive stars; from the perfect balance of gravity; the rotation of the earth; its distance from the sun, to unique D.N.A of every living thing, indicates that there must be a plan and so a planner; they attribute it all to a random sequence of unrelated events. In other words, in order to discredit and discount God’s work in creation, they say that we and everything around us are merely the result of an accident or more unbelievably a series of hundreds or thousands of accidents. 

If we and all that we see, are only the result of an accident, why do people worry, strive and work so hard to accomplish what they want? In Luke 12:25-26 Jesus asks:  “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?   Jesus is life. He gives us eternal life spiritually and abundant life now, on earth. Look at what Jesus says there is for the believer:    “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”    Philippians 4:13 says:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says:  “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”   We must choose whether we will live this life for self, striving, worrying and working to accomplish something now, yet nothing for eternity. Or will we, believing that all that happens is simply due to chance and not according to a plan, allow the universe to do as it will? Or finally, will we believing in Jesus, seeing and knowing the Father, the creator of the universe, in and through Him, live, walk, work and speak the way, and the truth, and the life so that we can do all things to the glory of God, through Jesus Christ? 

Thank You Lord Jesus Christ; You are more than good, You are God. May I live in and through You, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that all that I do brings glory to the Father through You. Because I believe, it is not I that does anything, but it is You that does it for me and through me, so that nothing could be impossible.   Amen.