Revealing the Father
John 14:8-21
The corridors of St. George's Private Hospital felt like reopening an old wound. Tim had walked the same halls 16 years earlier when his mother died from cancer. Now he was back, watching his father die in the very same wing.
Becoming an orphan as an adult hits differently than you'd expect. The grief is deep and complicated. You hide it from the people you love, but inside, it's heavy.
At his father's funeral, Tim's minister Bruce spoke about being "called home", to a place without tears, sadness, cancer, or goodbyes. That message stuck with Tim, because it captured something essential about what Jesus teaches His disciples in John 14. They're about to feel like orphans too.
The Night Before Everything Changed
Picture the Upper Room. It's the night before the crucifixion. Jesus has just told His disciples He's leaving. Their world is collapsing. They're confused, anxious, deeply unsettled. The leader they've loved is saying it's over.
Philip speaks what every human heart has said at some point: "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us" (v. 8).
It's a simple request. Philip wants certainty, clarity, something—or someone—he can really hold onto. Before we judge Philip for not understanding, remember where he's standing. His entire world is about to end.
You've Been Looking at God the Whole Time
Jesus' answer is both frustrated and compassionate: "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" (v. 9).
He's not being cruel. He's pointing Philip in the right direction, showing him where he should be looking.
It's the fulfillment of human longing that stretches back thousands of years. Moses longed for this. Remember when Moses asked God, "Now show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18)? God responded, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (v. 20). Moses only got a glimpse.
But in John 14, Jesus states clearly who He is: God made visible, made knowable, walking among us. Not some indifferent, uncaring, unknowing God. A deeply loving, knowable, and personal God who speaks directly into our human hearts.
The Heart of Christianity
"Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?" Jesus asks. "The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing his work" (vv. 10-11).
This echoes Isaiah's prophecy about the shoot from Jesse's stump, the branch bearing fruit with the Spirit of the Lord resting on Him (Isaiah 11:1-5). Jesus' miracles, His compassion, His authority, all of it is the Father's work through the Son.
Then Jesus says something that blows their minds: "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (v. 12).
The greater works aren't just miracles, though the disciples will do plenty, including raising the dead. It's the spread of salvation across the world. First to the Jews, then to the Gentiles, eventually to us.
Jesus never preached in Australia. He never made it to Europe. He walked everywhere and never travelled far from home. Yet here we are, worshipping Him on the other side of the world. That's the Spirit at work.
The Promise: You Will Not Be Orphans
Here's where it gets deeply personal.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth... But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (vv. 16-17).
Ezekiel and Jeremiah were looking forward to this moment. They prophesied about God giving His people a new heart, removing their heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh. About putting His Spirit in them and moving them to follow His ways (Ezekiel 36:26-27). About writing His law on their hearts and minds (Jeremiah 31:33).
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers was about to happen. The Spirit isn't an optional extra. He's the very presence of God dwelling in His people.
Then Jesus says words of profound comfort: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (v. 18).
Those words hit differently when you've actually lost your parents. When Tim stood in that hospital room, he felt the weight of becoming an orphan. But Jesus isn't just talking about earthly parents. He's talking about the deepest fear of the human soul: being abandoned by the one you love.
Why Christians Throughout History Faced Death With Courage
In the first century, several people rose up in Judea claiming to be God's chosen deliverer. They gathered crowds, made promises, some claimed miraculous signs, even liberation from Rome. But when persecution came, their followers scattered. These false messiahs had no divine authority behind them.
Jesus' disciples were different. Though they hid when Jesus was arrested, they didn't scatter permanently. After the resurrection, they pulled together. And it was so real to them that they were willing to sacrifice their lives. Almost all of them did.
Consider St. Florian, commander of a firefighting cohort in the Roman Empire. During Emperor Diocletian's Great Persecution (284-305 AD), Florian refused to sacrifice to Roman gods. As soldiers prepared to burn him at the stake, he said: "I am not afraid of your torture. Light the fire. In the name of the Lord I will climb the fires as a ladder to heaven."
How could he say that? Because he knew Jesus.
He knew where he was going. The Spirit gave him strength to be obedient even to death.
Persecution didn't end with Diocletian. Under Queen Mary ("Bloody Mary"), martyrs like Thomas Cranmer stood firm. Even today, faithful Christians in places like Nigeria face persecution. But the Spirit's guarantee remains: You are not alone.
Living in the Spirit's Power
Tim remembers sitting on Cronulla beach late one night in his early 20s, wrestling with God. He felt spiritually dry, empty, wondering if he was really cut out for the Christian life. He didn't feel strong, wise, or holy.
Looking back, he can see the Spirit's fingerprints all over that season.
Maybe you've had moments like that too. Moments where you felt weak but somehow kept going. Where you didn't know what to say but the right words came. Where you felt alone but later realised God was with you.
That is the Spirit Jesus promised.
"Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live" (v. 19).
We can't be orphans because Jesus lives. The Father still reigns in heaven. The Holy Spirit indwells believers. We're not orphans because our true Heavenly Father is still alive, still reigning, still on His throne.
Tim lost the opportunity to talk to his dad 12 years ago. But he has a Heavenly Father who loves him even in his imperfections, and there are many. A Father eager to hear his prayers.
"I may have lost Dad," Tim says, "but I've always had a Father."
What This Means for You
Like any family, we show love through respect and obedience. True loving parents want the best for their kids. They hope that love will be returned with respect, love, and joyful obedience.
It's the same with God.
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me" (v. 21).
Obedience isn't legalism. It's not fear. It's not earning God's favour. It's the natural response of a heart transformed by grace. If you love God, you want to please Him. You want to obey Him.
St. Florian and Thomas Cranmer knew this and lived it out, even to death.
Here's a rhythm for Christian life: Love → Obedience → Fellowship → Joy. Because we love God, we want to obey Him. Because we obey Him, we're in fellowship with Him. Because we're in fellowship with Him, we have great joy.
Three Truths
If you want to know God, look to Jesus
You're not alone—the Spirit lives in you
Love for Jesus expresses itself in obedience to God's commands
If you're a Christian, ask yourself: Am I living in the power of the Spirit or in my own strength? Be honest. If you feel convicted, do something about it. God wants to hear from you. He's a loving Father eager to hear from you.
If you're feeling spiritually dry, if you feel like you're living in your own strength, talk to Him.
If you are in Christ, you are not alone, not abandoned, not rejected, but loved and cherished by a Heavenly Father.
That is why Jesus still changes everything.
This sermon is part of the Colours of Life series, telling the gospel story in five simple colours. Soul Revival Church gathers across the Sutherland Shire [Kirrawee, Yarrawarrah, Miranda, Cronulla] and Ryde.